James has particular expertise in litigating disputes for offshore and onshore contractors as well as shipyards. He is also regularly instructed to negotiate the formation of construction and shipbuilding contracts, offshore drilling contracts and long term charter contracts of specialist offshore vessels.
James is now widely recognised as one of the leading sanctions lawyers in the market. He has been heavily involved in advising various international companies on their Iran operations, since the relief of sanctions, per the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”). James has assisted shipbuilders, owners, IOCs, contractors and airlines on the structuring of their business for the formation of contracts with Iranian entities, as well as advising on due diligence and compliance aspects of Iranian trade, in light of the US sanctions against Iran that remain in place.
James is continuously named as one the leading lawyers for disputes resolution, construction and shipping by various international legal directories including Chambers Global and The Legal 500 EMEA.
Recent experience includes acting for an offshore contractor in an US$80 million dispute with an oil and gas company, a US$40 million LMAA arbitration dispute for a shipowner against a Korean shipyard, representing a drilling contractor in a US$73 million dispute regarding the sale of a jack up drill rig and acting for an offshore contractor in the formation of a series of shipbuilding contracts for new build survey vessels.
Within construction and engineering, he recently acted for the sub-contractor in a US$50 million dispute relating to the expansion of the Habshan Gas Power Plant in Abu Dhabi as well as a multi-national engineering company in a 275 million Saudi Riyal dispute relating to the construction of four gas treatment centres in Saudi Arabia.
“The impressive James Willn is… cool, calm and collected and the go-to man to lead big offshore construction disputes in the region.”
The Legal 500 EMEA 2020