Fatma Guney

Of Counsel

Fatma specialises in the resolution of complex construction disputes, with vast experience in international arbitration and multi-jurisdictional, cross-border projects.

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She advises contractors, subcontractors, employers, state entities and multinational clients on major energy, transport and infrastructure projects across the world, with a particular focus on the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa.

A Solicitor of England & Wales and a Barrister (NP), Fatma has extensive experience acting as counsel in high-value arbitrations under the major institutional rules (including ICC, LCIA, ICSID, SIAC and DIAC) as well as mediations and dispute board proceedings. She regularly advises on both contentious and non-contentious construction matters, including EPC and FIDIC-based contracts, claims management, project risk allocation and dispute avoidance.

Fatma is recognised for her experience in advising Turkish contractors on multi-jurisdictional projects and complex cross-border dispute strategy. She has a strong understanding of cultural aspects that are prevalent in international projects and is experienced in working across both common law and civil law systems.

Fatma is a recommended lawyer in the Lexology Index and is highlighted as a future leader in arbitration as well as a Global Thought Leader for Arbitration in Türkiye.

She is fluent in English and Turkish.

Specialist expertise

Examples of Fatma’s expertise include:

acted for Turkish petroleum offshore company in respect of a potential project for the development of Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea in Türkiye;
advised a Turkish energy and construction company in respect of a potential multi-party project and EPC contract for the construction of hydropower plants in Europe;
acted as lead counsel in an LCIA arbitration between a Turkish contractor and an Ethiopian state-owned entity on a 390km railway construction project (worth approximately US$800 million);
acted for a Turkish metallurgy company against a European conglomerate in relation to a design and installation dispute arising from a project to upgrade a chromite concentration plant (value of claims was approximately €30 million);
acted as lead counsel for a Qatar-based Turkish company in an ICC arbitration concerning a major infrastructure project for the Qatar Metro (project value in excess of US$68 million);
acted as lead counsel in an ICC arbitration for a Turkish energy and construction company against a Korean EPC contractor, regarding the installation of a substation and related delays/provision of liquidated damages (value of claims was approximately US$25 million);
advised a Turkish contractor on the unlawful expropriation of construction assets in an investment treaty dispute under the SCC (Türkiye-Russia bilateral investment treaty worth approximately US$300 million);
acted as lead counsel in an ICC arbitration for a Turkish contractor concerning the operation and maintenance service for power plants in West Africa;
acted as lead counsel in a pipeline construction dispute for a Turkish contractor. Successfully represented the contractor in four DAB proceedings;
acted for a Turkish contractor on an infrastructure project in Latvia relating to a road construction dispute;
acted as counsel in multiple infrastructure projects in Dubai for Turkish contractors against government-owned entities;
acted as counsel in an ICC case concerning a dispute between the shareholders of a Joint Venture in a mining project between a French conglomerate and Turkish mining company.
acted as counsel in an AAA case concerning a contractual sale of goods and distribution dispute in the defence sector;
acted for two separate Turkish contractor claimants in a foreign investment case (ICSID) against Uzbekistan (with claims amounting to approximately US$40 million and US$168 million);
acted as co-counsel in the ICSID case of Nova Group v Romania, successfully defeating a claim against Romania for approximately US$370 million; and
acted as co-counsel in an ICSID dispute between Turkish investors and Serbia regarding expropriation of investments (value of claims was approximately US$17 million).

Other activities

Fatma is a listed arbitrator with the following arbitral bodies:

the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC);
the Guangzhou Arbitration Commission;
the Istanbul Arbitration Centre (ISTAC); and
the Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC).

Fatma frequently contributes to publications covering international arbitration and construction law, such as the Construction Law Journal. She regularly speaks at arbitration and dispute resolution conferences and provides client training on effective dispute avoidance and cross-examination techniques.