Profile details
About Sarah-Jane Fick
Sarah-Jane is a senior associate in our Global Project Disputes Practice.
Sarah-Jane focuses on commercial and construction disputes arising from the delivery of major infrastructure, energy and natural resources projects. She has advised clients in complex, high-value international arbitrations under many different institutional rules, with a variety of international seats. Sarah-Jane has been appointed as tribunal secretary in SIAC and DIAC proceedings. She also spent 14 months on secondment to Japanese energy company INPEX, where she was responsible for managing a multi-billion USD defect claim involving different external counsel teams and coordinating strategy across multiple dispute resolution forums.
Sarah-Jane is an officer of the International Projects Committee of the International Bar Association, and a member of the Society of Construction Law (Gulf and Singapore), Raising Arbitrators Initiative and Arbitral Women. Sarah-Jane co-authors the UAE chapter of the ICCA International Handbook on Commercial Arbitration and has published a chapter on the use of technology in construction disputes in the Sweet & Maxwell textbook ‘Dealing with Delay and Disruption on Construction Disputes’. She is a past member of the Editorial Board of the International Arbitration Committee to the International Bar Association, and regularly contributes to industry events through speaking engagements.
She is admitted to practise law in England and Wales, and is a registered Foreign Legal Practitioner in Dubai and Singapore.
Recent work
International arbitration
- A US-headquartered global energy corporation as respondent in an Australian seated arbitration commenced under the UNCITRAL Rules by an Australian contractor in respect of alleged delays to construction works arising from resource restrictions necessitated by the remote location of the natural gas project.
- A Japanese energy company in respect of the management of arbitral proceedings relating to a multi-million USD defect claim arising from constructon works at an onshore gas processing plant in Australia.
- A regional Middle Eastern joint venture in ICC arbitration proceedings against a head contractor concerning sub-contracted works as an oil and gas processing facilitiy in Abu Dhabi.
- An international joint venture contractor as EPC contractor in respect of a multi-million USD Middle Eastern airport construction, which gave rise to arbitrated issues of delay, extensive variations (including omissions), disruption and non-payment of invoices.
- A consortium of two major Asian engineering and construction companies in an ICC arbitration against a joint venture and its shareholder in relation to claims under an EPC contract for the constructoin and transfer of a fertiliser plant in North Africa, which resulted in a favourable settlement for our client.
Non-contentious construction
- A Japanese petrochemical company in the review of its template engineering, procurement and management contracts, and separately, an EPC contract concerning construction works at an offshore oil block in Vietnam.
- An international charity in the review of its template contracts for pre-qualification and construction works in Iraq.
- A governmental subsidiary in review of its long term maintenance and service agreements in respect of a Middle Eastern nuclear power plant.
Advisory
- A global construction company in a third-party expert determination regarding claims against the employer for time-related costs, variations and other claims in relation to construction of an iconic Qatari building.
- A UAE subsidiary of an international logistics company regarding a dispute arising from termination of a joint venture agreement concerning the implementation of a distribution network for the sale of fast-moving goods across East Africa.
- An Asian energy company in two parallel ICC arbitrations brought under an agreement for the sale of an interest in a renewable energy joint venture in Thailand.
- A South Korean contractor in respect of a dispute arising with its joint venture partner concerning the non-payment for EPC works at an ammonia fertiliser plant in Algeria.
- A Saudi Arabian owner in relation to the non-performance and, ultimately, termination of an EPC contract with a Japanese contractor in joint venture with an Australian corporation engaged to complete the construction and commissioning of an aluminium rolling mill in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- An oilfield services company in relation to rights and obligations under an EPC contract for two extension projects located in Kurdistan.
- An international construction company in relation to potential disputes pursuant to a subcontract for finishing works at a world-class Middle Eastern airport.
Qualifications
- 2013 Admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
- 2010 Distinction in Legal Practitioner's Certificate, BPP Law School, London
- 2009 Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Public International Law, cum laude, Leiden University, Netherlands
- 2008 Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Durham University, UK