Overview

William Clerke is a senior associate in the Construction & Engineering group of the London office. He has substantial experience across a broad range of dispute resolution including litigation, arbitration, mediation and adjudication. He advises clients, which include employers, contractors, sub-contractors, consultants and insurers in relation to construction-related disputes concerning matters such as defective works, delay and cost overruns and professional negligence under a variety of forms of construction contracts.

William has broad international experience and has advised in relation to large construction projects in Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has a particular interest in renewable energy projects, including wind and solar. He has also worked on various high profile and complex construction and engineering disputes under different arbitration rules including ICC and LCIA rules and also on matters before the High Court and Court of Appeal in the England and Wales, as well as the Constitutional Court in South Africa.

William joined Mayer Brown in 2016 as an associate and was made up to senior associate in 2018. Prior to that, he worked at an international law firm in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. He is dual qualified in England and Wales and South Africa.

William is also co-chair of the Firm’s LGBT+ network in the London office.

Areas of Focus

Practices
Industries
Regional Capabilities

Spoken Languages

  • English

Experience

  • Representing a multinational chemical company in an international ICC arbitration against its contractor arising out of the design and construction of a process plant facility in Finland.
  • Representing a FTSE 100 company in a large professional negligence claim arising out of the development of a shopping centre in the UK. 
  • Representing a leading French contractor and its professional indemnity insurers in a large professional negligence claim arising out of the design and construction of a new power plant in Gibraltar. 
  • Representing one of the world's leading engineering, procurement, construction and project management companies in an international ICC arbitration with a state-owned petroleum company in relation to the construction of an oil refinery in the Caribbean.
  • Advising a leading developer and operator of renewable energy across the UK in relation to a number of contractual disputes, including in relation to claims for an extension of time and prolongation costs arising out of a large renewable wind project in Scotland. 
  • Representing an architect and its insurers in defending a claim brought by a contractor arising out the design and construction of a mixed use residential and commercial development in London. 
  • Representing the design and build contractor and its professional indemnity insurers on a number of disputes relating to the design of a number of waste to energy facilities – part of the Manchester Waste PFI project
  • Representing the design and build contractor in a dispute relating to the design and construction of a shopping centre in Stoke-on-Trent under the JCT form of contract.
  • Representing an international sponsor/developer in a complex multi-party litigation relating to the construction of two solar PV projects that form part of the renewable energy programme in South Africa. The dispute related to on demand guarantees, letters of credit (urgent high court applications) and the termination of two FIDIC EPC sub-contracts (private ad hoc arbitration) as well as cross-border insolvency issues.
  • Representing a developer and its insurers in a professional negligence dispute with various subcontractors in relation to a fire that occurred during the construction of a hospital in South Africa.
  • Representing a local developer and its insurers in relation to design defects that occurred during the construction of a waste management facility.
  • Representing a developer and its insurers in dispute with various sub-contractors in relation to a fire that destroyed a paper factory in South Africa, which also killed 13 workers.

Events

News

Education

University of Cape Town

Admissions

  • South Africa
  • England and Wales

Activities

  • Technology & Construction Solicitors Association