Nicholas Zeolla

Construction, Engineering & Infrastructure

Nicholas has acted on a range of technically complex and high value construction, engineering and infrastructure disputes and he is particularly adept at managing large expert teams. Recent experience includes:

International Arbitration

• Hotel-Casino, Europe: Acting as junior counsel in an ICC arbitration for a Main Contractor in its delay and disruption claims against its Employer in relation to the construction of a hotel-casino resort in the Mediterranean with a total contract value of over €250,000,000 (with Zulfikar Khayum).
• Landmark Hotel, UAE: Drafting statements of case and Stern Schedules during pupillage in a DIAC arbitration defending a claim for more than 1 billion AED concerning the construction of a landmark hotel in Dubai.
• Railway Project, East Africa: Acting as junior counsel on behalf of an East African contractor to draft its Defence and Counterclaim in an LCIA arbitration in relation to a railway project with a total contract value of over $25,000,000 (with Mathias Cheung).
• Residential Project, UAE: Advising on a procedural challenge to the appointment of an arbitrator in relation to an ICC arbitration in the ADGM Courts.
• Power Plant, UAE: Advising an unexploded ordnance contractor on its contractual claims against UAE and Swiss parties for mine clearing works in relation to the construction of a multi-billion-dirham waste to energy plant in the UAE.
• Power Plant, Saudi Arabia: Advising during pupillage on an ICC arbitration relating to the defective supply of feed water heaters by an engineering company to a power plant project in Saudi Arabia.
• Power Plant, Finland: Advising during pupillage on delay and disruption claims in relation to the construction of a power plant in Finland.
• Hydropower Project, Europe: Experience during pupillage of a several hundred-million-dollar ICC arbitration concerning the termination of a hydropower project in the Caucasus.
• Before joining Atkin Chambers: Nicholas trained in international arbitration and private international law as a Michael Mustill scholar at the Hague Academy of International Law. During law school Nicholas’ team successfully competed in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competition: winning the White & Case Pre-Moot in Frankfurt and receiving an Honourable Mention in Vienna.

Adjudication

• Residential Smash & Grab: Acting for a residents’ management association in their response to a smash & grab adjudication in relation to blocks of residential flats in London.
• Oil Refinery Turnaround: Acting for an oil refinery in parallel adjudications relating to: (i) the valuation of a multi-million-pound refractory contract; and (ii) responding to a ‘smash and grab’ adjudication (with Mathias Cheung).
• Adjudication Enforcement: Acting as sole counsel on behalf of a Main Contractor to challenge the enforcement of an adjudicator’s award totaling £100,000 on jurisdictional grounds (against a 1995 call opponent).
• Port Infrastructure: Drafting a Notice of Adjudication and Referral Notice for a £12.5 million ‘smash and grab’ adjudication during pupillage.

Domestic Litigation

• Roofing Defects: Successfully acting as sole counsel for a roofing contractor to set aside Default Judgment and drafting a Defence and Counterclaim against a sub-contractor in respect of water ingress defects to a train station re-development in London.
• Flooring Defects: Successfully acting as sole counsel at trial and preparing the Defence for a flooring supplier in a case concerning allegations of defects to the wooden flooring at a residential property.
• Hospital PFI: Advising on the appropriate method for claiming costs under a complex PFI hospital contract during pupillage.
• Steel Plant: Drafting Particulars of Claim in relation to property damage to a steel production plant during pupillage.
• Home Renovation: Advising a homeowner on the prospects and quantum of their claim against their builders for a house renovation project in London.
• Waste-to-Energy Plant: Preparing research notes and assisting with the drafting of the List of Issues in a case concerning a dispute over the profit-sharing provisions of a complex contract for a waste to energy plant during pupillage.
• Fire Safety Defects: Drafting Particulars of Claim in a complex fire-safety dispute concerning defective cladding at an apartment building in the Paddington basin during pupillage.

Mediation

• Fire Safety Defects: Drafting a mediation position statement on behalf of the Claimant in a high value multi-party fire-safety defects claim concerning a high-rise student accommodation building in London during pupillage.