Ben Cowling

Full Profile

After starting his career in Australia, Ben moved to Dubai in 2009 and has been permanently based in Riyadh since 2012. Ben has nineteen years' experience of providing transactional, claims and dispute advice on construction projects in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Australia. He has been recognised by all of the major legal directories, including Who's Who Legal, Chambers and Legal 500.

Ben's practice is premised on delivering value to clients by providing pragmatic, commercial advice based on his deep experience in the region. This includes detailed knowledge of local construction contracting practices (including government procurement and FIDIC under Shari'ah) and dispute resolution processes (including local courts and Saudi and international arbitration).

Ben holds Bachelor of Law (Honours) and Bachelor of Science degrees, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and a Diploma in International Arbitration. Ben is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia, and is a registered foreign lawyer in the United Kingdom. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and a member of the Rules & Advisory Committee for the Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA).

Experience

• Vision 2030 projects: Acting for multiple Saudi government entities in relation to the procurement and delivery of various major projects across a range of asset types.
• Heavy infrastructure: Acting for Saudi government owned company in relation to claims and disputes with contractors on a series of EPC packages for integrated processing facilities (total project value USD 10+ billion).
• Saudi power project: Acting for project company and shareholders in relation to all subcontract and supplier disputes on project, including multiple local court proceedings and ICC arbitration (total project value USD 1+ billion).
• COVID-19: Numerous matters involving advice and representation on the consequences of COVID‑19 and the impact of the various government measures on employers and contractors under Saudi construction contracts.