Steven Walker

Steven Walker QC is a leading advocate (Scotland), barrister (England) and attorney (Cayman Islands) and a registered foreign lawyer at the Bar of Western Australia and the Bar of Ireland. He is an international commercial lawyer with a specialisation in arbitration, energy, commercial/corporate disputes, construction and engineering. He is based between Asia Pacific and Europe and works internationally.

Steven has been ranked BAND 1 for international arbitration in Singapore in the Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific Guide 2017. He is one of only four British Silks ranked Band 1.

He has a significant practice in Asia Pacific, where he handles a range of arbitration cases which are mostly linked to energy and resources or infrastructure issues and frequently run according to ICC, SIAC, UNCITRAL rules. Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific Guide 2017 testify to his "amazingly wide experience of the subject area in which he operates, spanning every energy dispute imaginable," from his dedication to "making clients feel at their ease" to his "excellent advocacy, not just in terms of the legal issues, but in terms of making the best case for the client."

He was also ranked BAND 1 in the Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific Guide 2016.  As one source noted, "he is very quick, able to see the key points and give the right wording. He makes complicated matters very simple. He is very familiar with how arbitrators think, what they want....he also maintains a regular presence in Malaysian disputes."

Professional Background

Steven started his career as a solicitor in 1997. He called to the Scottish Bar in 1999, to the Cayman Islands Bar in 2007 and to the English Bar in 2008. He became a registered foreign lawyer at the Bar of Western Australia and the Bar of Ireland in 2016. He has been an accredited Mediator since 2003 and became an accredited arbitrator in 2011. He was appointed an ad hoc Advocate Depute in 2007 (criminal court prosecutor) by the Lord Advocate (Head of the Scottish Prosecution Service) and has prosecuted serious offences for the Crown including attempted murder and armed robbery. Steven also held a public appointment from the Scottish Government to sit as a Tribunal Judge.

He was made an Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh in 2009, an Honorary Lecturer of the Centre for Energy, Petroleum, Mineral Law & Policy, University of Dundee in 2008 and appointed Seminar Director & Lecturer on the Professional Seminar Training Programme of the Energy Studies Institute, National University of Singapore 2014. He lectures frequently on energy disputes, law and policy all over the world.

Steven is co-author of the leading international book 'Pleading in Arbitration - A Practitioner's Guide' published by Sweet & Maxwell/Thomson Reuters 2012.  A second edition is due for release in 2017.

Practice Areas and Appointments

Early in his career, he worked in the international arbitration group of Allen & Overy. Since then, Steven has developed an extensive international arbitration practice and now acts as lead counsel in multiple ad hoc and institutional international arbitrations conducted in many countries around the world and subject to a wide variety of governing substantive and procedural laws. He has built a formidable reputation acting in international energy cases involving exploration and production disputes, engineering, procurement and construction disputes, power purchase disputes as well as a whole range of commercial/corporate disputes concerning joint venture agreements, shareholders agreements and other financial and commercial agreements.

Practice Areas:

• International Commercial Arbitration
• Commercial Law
• Corporate Law
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Oil & Gas Renewable Energy (onshore and offshore)
• Construction & Engineering & Infrastructure
• Mining
• International Trade, Trade Finance & Commodities
• International Investment Arbitration

Appointments:

Public Appointments:

• Appointed Ad Hoc Advocate Depute by the Lord Advocate 2007 to date.
• Appointed Chairman of the Private Rented Housing Panel 2006 to 2015
• Appointed member of Geneva Petroleum Club 2014

Academic Appointments:

• Appointed lecturer and member of the Global Academic Faculty of the Centre for Energy, Petroleum, Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), University of Dundee in 2002 and 2008
• Appointed Principal lecturer on the International Arbitration LLM at the University of Edinburgh 2009
• Appointed Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh 2009
• Appointed Honorary Lecturer of the Centre for Energy, Petroleum, Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), University of Dundee in 2008, 2011 and 2014
• Seminar and Course Director for CEPMLP arbitration conferences and professional seminars External PhD Examiner CEPMLP 2011
• Appointed Seminar Director & Lecturer on the Professional Seminar Training Programme of the Energy Studies Institute, National University of Singapore 2014

Memberships

Arbitrator Panels:

• International Chamber of Commerce United Kingdom National Committee
• London Court of International Arbitration
• Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration
• Stockholm Chamber of Commerce