Overview Expertise Related Insights, Events & Cases
Katie Powell specialises in commercial disputes with a particular emphasis on construction, professional liability and insurance disputes.
Katie is ranked as a Band 1 Construction Junior (Chambers & Partners UK Bar), as a leading Junior in The Legal 500 (in both the UK and Middle East directories) and as a leading Junior in the Chambers & Partners Global directory.
She is recognised as “an absolute star, with sharp intellect and an amazing work ethic” and as winning “universal praise”. She has a formidable reputation both on paper and on her feet, being described as an “outstanding construction and construction related junior”, as “unfailingly charming, super bright, incredibly hard-working and highly competitive;” “very tough and persuasive, and incredibly good in court”; “pure class: super-clever and down to earth”, “phenomenally bright” and as being“simply brilliant and passionate about everything she does”.
Katie is confident in conducting all major forms of dispute resolution on both a led and an unled basis. She has substantial experience in large litigation, arbitrations, adjudications and appeals, and is frequently instructed in place of silks.
Katie undertakes a wide variety of work both in a litigation and arbitration context concerning in both pure construction claims and claims against construction professionals. She was junior counsel in the Co-op v Birse litigation, which gave rise to some of the leading decisions on limitation in a construction context.
The directories say: Katie is a “[a] very sharp barrister and great to work with. Adapts perfectly to challenging circumstances” (The Legal 500 London Bar, Construction); “Her drafting is concise and packs a bunch, and her advocacy is careful, measures and reflective of her deep understanding of the issues” (The Legal 500, Middle East: the English Bar, Construction); “She is quick to grasp complex issues, easy to work with and an effective advocate in a case” (Chambers & Partners Global, Construction); “Direct and bold advocacy… ambitious and able, extraordinarily hard-working and a punchy advocate” (Chambers & Partners London Bar, Professional Negligence: Technology & Construction).
Examples of the cases she has been involved (both led and unled) in include:
Katie’s professional negligence experience is substantial, having practised for a number of years in a leading professional negligence set. She has acted for against a wide range of professionals, including architects, engineers, surveyors, solicitors, barristers and accountants and has been involved in some of the most important recent cases in this area.
Katie is rated as a leading junior in this field in both Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500. Recent comments include: “[a] very smart cookie who will be a QC a few years down the road”; “incredibly dedicated”; “she did a really good job in front of a scary bench. One to watch”, “a very clear advocate who gets to the issues quickly”; “bright, able, user friendly and definitely performs beyond her year of call”; “She’s very hands-on and approachable, and her advice is very practice whilst also being detailed.”
She is regularly instructed in relation to claims against lawyers, auditors and accountants, construction professionals, surveyors and valuers, practising both domestically and internationally.
Katie was for many years a chapter editor of ‘Jackson and Powell on Professional Negligence’.
Examples of her cases (both led and un-led) include:
Katie has a substantial arbitration practice. She acted as junior Counsel in the ground-breaking decision in Secretary of State for the Home Department v Raytheon Systems [2014] EWHC 4375; [2015] EWHC 311, the first time an arbitral award was set aside in its entirety under s.68 of the Arbitration Act 1996 for serious irregularity.
Examples of her recent arbitration work include:
A significant element of Katie’s practice comprises insurance disputes, both for and against insurers. She has particular expertise in Contractors All Risk insurance policies and is the current editor of the section on Insurance in Hudson’s Building and Engineering Contracts.
Further examples of her insurance experience (both led and unled) include:
Katie is regularly instructed in both domestic and international commercial dispute resolution. Examples of her work include:
P&P Property Ltd v Owen White & Catlin LLP [2018] EWCA Civ 1082; [2019] Ch. 273
Caliendo v Mishcon de Reya [2016] EWHC 150 (Ch); [2016] 2 WLUK 154
Secretary of State for the Home Department v Raytheon Systems Ltd [2015] EWHC 311 (TCC); [2015] Bus. L.R. 626; [2015] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 493; [2015] 1 C.L.C. 466; 159 Con. L.R. 168
Secretary of State for the Home Department v Raytheon Systems Ltd [2014] EWHC 4375 (TCC); [2014] 12 WLUK 774
Rendlesham Estates Plc v Barr Ltd [2014] EWHC 3968 (TCC); [2015] 1 W.L.R. 3663; [2015] B.L.R. 37; [2015] T.C.L.R. 1; 157 Con. L.R. 147; [2015] C.I.L.L. 3604
Hunt v Optima (Cambridge) Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 714; [2015] 1 W.L.R. 1346; [2014] 2 C.L.C. 89 ; [2014] B.L.R. 613; 155 Con. L.R. 29; [2014] P.N.L.R. 29; [2014] 3 E.G.L. 169; Times, August 19, 2014
Tanweer (t/a Auto Service Centre) v UK Insurance Ltd; [2014] 7 WLUK 712
Co-operative Group Ltd v Birse Developments Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 707; [2014] 5 WLUK 751; [2014] B.L.R. 477
Co-operative Group Ltd v Birse Developments Ltd (In Liquidation) [2014] EWHC 530 (TCC); [2014] 2 WLUK 945; [2014] B.L.R. 359; 153 Con. L.R. 103; [2014] P.N.L.R. 21
Co-operative Group Ltd v Birse Developments Ltd [2013] EWHC 3145 (TCC); [2013] 10 WLUK 537
Co-operative Group Ltd v Birse Developments Ltd [2013] EWCA Civ 474; [2013] B.L.R. 383; 148 Con. L.R. 264; [2013] 19 E.G. 96
Hunt v Optima (Cambridge) Ltd [2013] EWHC 681 (TCC); [2013] 4 WLUK 678; 148 Con. L.R. 27
Weavering Capital (UK) Ltd (In Liquidation) v Dabhia [2013] EWCA Civ 71; [2015] B.C.C. 741
Gaydamak v Leviev [2012] EWCA Civ 1561; [2012] 11 WLUK 808
Kingspan Environmental Ltd v Borealis A/S [2012] EWHC 1147 (Comm); [2012] 5 WLUK 32
Galliford Try Infrastructure Ltd (formerly Morrison Construction Ltd) v Mott MacDonald Ltd [2008] EWHC 1570 (TCC) | [2008] 7 WLUK 518 | 120 Con. L.R. 1 | [2009] P.N.L.R. 9| [2008] C.I.L.L. 2612
Galliford Try Construction Ltd v Mott MacDonald Ltd [2008] EWHC 603 (TCC); [2008] 3 WLUK 352; [2008] T.C.L.R. 6
Katie is the current editor of the insurance section in Hudson’s Building and Engineering Contracts.
Katie is a member of COMBAR, SCL, TECBAR and PNBA.
“Katie Powell is very intelligent, articulate and incisive.”
“Katie puts our minds, and our clients’ minds, at rest with her quality of advice. She comes up to speed very quickly and is able to get under the skin of expert evidence.”
“She is very organised and hard working.”
Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2025
“Katie is a hard-working team player.”
“Katie is an excellent advocate. She is approachable, down to earth and extremely hard-working.”
“She is incredibly focused and a very good communicator.”
Professional Negligence, Chambers UK Bar 2025
“Katie is very responsive and clear and decisive in her advice. She is excellent on the detail, but still able to see the bigger picture.”
Construction, The Legal 500 2025
“Katie is excellent. She has an incredible grasp of the technical areas of construction defects claims and produces high-quality product at incredible speed.”
Construction, The Legal 500 2024
“Katie is very sharp. She is also friendly and responsive.”
Professional Negligence, The Legal 500 2024
“Katie Powell is excellent. She is very good at reading judges.”
“She’s a great advocate. She’s commercially aware and precise.”
“Her written work is brilliant and she has a wonderful rapport with clients.”
Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2024
“Katie Powell is very knowledgeable.”
“Katie is an excellent advocate. She is very experienced in High Court litigation. She is approachable and has a good manner with the client.”
Professional Negligence, Chambers UK Bar 2024
“In terms of her grasp of the issues, she can’t be faulted.”
“She knows the law really well, and is great at factual and legal research.”
Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2023
“She is very responsive and personable, very clever and able to provide advice clearly.” “Very bright and well thought of across the Bar.”
Professional Negligence, Chambers UK Bar 2023
“A really super bright advocate. Totally committed. I think she is excellent.”
“I was really impressed with how forceful she was – she seems quite fearless.”
Professional Negligence: Client, Chambers UK Bar 2023
“An impressive ability to communicate complex legal concepts to clients. She has a keen eye for detail, which she leverages to develop winning strategies for the most challenging issues in the case.”
Construction, The Legal 500 2023
“An absolute star and someone you always want on your team. Sharp, detail-orientated and a real client favourite.”
Middle East: Construction, The Legal 500 2023
“She is extremely efficient with an ability to handle incredible volumes of information and still cut to the heart of the main issue at hand.”
Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2022
“She is phenomenally bright and hard-working. She’s a really tough advocate with a very combative style, but she’s charming as well as a real fighter.”
Professional Negligence, Chambers UK Bar 2022
“A great barrister, she is really good with clients and the judge, and very enjoyable to work with.” “She’s bright and phenomenally hard-working. She is a very tough advocate too, a real fighter.”
Professional Negligence: Technology & Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2022
“Katie is quick to grasp the facts of a case, extremely pleasant to work with, hard-working and very bright.”
Construction, The Legal 500 2022
‘Her drafting is concise and packs a punch, and her advocacy is careful, measured and reflective of her deep understanding of the issues.’
Construction, Middle East, The Legal 500 2022
“She is quick to grasp complex issues, easy to work with and an effective advocate in a case.”
Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2021
“She produced excellent written advice which was incredibly thorough and helpful, and engaged with the facts. She’s very hands-on and approachable, and her advice is very practical while also being detailed.” “An excellent advocate.”
Professional Negligence, Chambers UK Bar 2021
“Direct and bold advocacy.” “She very ambitious and able, extraordinarily hard-working and a punchy advocate.”
Professional Negligence: Technology & Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2021
“She has a fantastic understanding of the law and the issues in play. Superb attention to detail and excellent drafting. Very clear and thorough advice, but easy to follow and practical.”
Professional Negligence, The Legal 500 2021
“A very sharp barrister and great to work with. Adapts perfectly to challenging circumstances.”
Construction, The Legal 500 2021
“An outstanding construction and construction-related professional indemnity advocate.” “She is extremely user-friendly, very bright and responsive.”
Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2020
“She is very resilient for her clients and has a very good manner in dealing with both the court and opponents.” “She is unfailingly charming, super bright, incredibly hard-working and highly competitive.”
Professional Negligence, Chambers UK Bar 2020
“Hard-working, diligent and excellent in court.”
Professional Negligence: Technology & Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2020
“She is extremely good at writing skeleton arguments and her advocacy is good. She’s done a lot of multiparty cases and is a general all-rounder who never lets you down.”
“She is unfailingly charming, super bright, incredibly hard-working and highly competitive, which makes her a winner.”
Professional Negligence, Technology & Construction, Chambers UK Bar 2020
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For more information please contact our clerks on
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