Elizabeth Sonnekus

Full Profile

Elizabeth is a senior associate in our Dubai office. She has acted for and advised clients on contentious matters in various industries including construction, finance, insurance, telecommunications, mining and resourcing, private higher education, and retail. 

Elizabeth has experience representing clients in arbitration proceedings brought under ICC, DIAC, UNCITRAL, LCIA-MIAC and AFSA rules. She further has experience litigating in the DIFC Courts and the ADGM Courts, the South African High Courts and the South African Supreme Court of Appeal. 

Experience

• Defending a claim brought against a Construction Engineer Consultant for an alleged negligent design in respect of a construction project in Bahrain.
•  Advising insurers on a policy coverage dispute following a claim filed in connection with the default of the insured’s buyer from a sale of commodities. 
• Pursuing a subrogated recovery claim in the DIFC Courts on behalf of reinsurers for the failure by a bank to honour irrevocable letters of credit. 
• Advising reinsurers in respect of a coverage claim under a Network and Security Privacy (Cyber) Policy for business interruption as a result of a cyber outage incident.
• Successfully defending a multinational conglomerate in a construction arbitration relating to the design and installation of a building management system and a supervisory control and data acquisition system at a Middle Eastern airport.
• Successfully represented a subcontractor in respect of a complex construction dispute under an ICC-based arbitration seated in Doha.
• Represented a contractor in two ICC based arbitrations in relation to claims against the employer arising from civil works on a petrochemical production plant project in Saudi Arabia.
• Represented a main contractor in an ICC expert determination in respect of a dispute on the design and build of a project in Slovakia. 
• Successfully represented an investment fund in the ADGM Courts in relation to a dispute concerning the gating provision in fund documents.
• Represented a bank in declaratory relief proceedings in the ADGM Courts in respect of insurance receivables.
• Represented insurers in enforcement proceedings of an ICC arbitration award in the Cayman Islands High Courts. 
• Successfully defended annulment proceedings brought against insurers in onshore Qatar Appeal Court in respect of an ICC arbitration award.