Natasha Peter is a versatile commercial and civil law practitioner. Clients appreciate her ability to provide pragmatic, results-driven strategic and legal advice, her incisive drafting of factually and legally complex written submissions, and her effective oral advocacy.
Natasha has experience of acting for the private and public sector in a broad range of fields, including agency and distribution, commodities, construction, consumer goods, environmental, financial services, infrastructure, joint ventures, licensing, mergers and acquisitions, natural resources, nuclear, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, power, public procurement, renewable energies, sale of goods, technology, telecommunications and transport.
A hallmark of her approach is her combination of creative problem-solving with logical, persuasive drafting and careful attention to detail. This blend of skills has led to notable successes – for example, the widely publicised grant, at first instance, of an interim injunction to prevent the Bell Hotel from being used to accommodation asylum seekers in Epping Forest District Council v Somani Hotels Ltd (led by Philip Coppel KC).
An established arbitration practitioner who has acted in disputes conducted under all the major arbitration rules (including LCIA, ICC, DIAC, ICSID and ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules), Natasha regularly sits as an arbitrator and as a construction adjudicator. She is also a Crown Court Recorder and a Deputy District Judge on the South-Eastern Circuit.
Natasha has been listed in Best Lawyers for Arbitration and Mediation since 2023.
She is a dual Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (International Arbitration and Adjudication). She is also a visiting lecturer at the Paris II Panthéon-Assas University, where she teaches drafting and written advocacy skills, and regularly publishes articles and gives seminars on topics relating to commercial/ contract law, international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, including as a contributor to Atkins Court Forms on “Bonds“.
Natasha has a particular interest in renewable energy and environmental law, and is a member of Cornerstone Climate, Chambers’ cross-disciplinary practice group for climate litigation and advice.
Expertise
- Commercial Disputes
Natasha has over two decades of experience in commercial law and is regularly instructed in long-running, high-value disputes. Her work on complex and strategically sensitive cases has given her an exceptional understanding of the commercial realities and tactical considerations that drive litigation from a client’s perspective. She has acted in a broad range of commercial disputes, including those involving joint ventures, share purchase and shareholders’ agreements, property and security interests, finance, tax, trust structures, allegations of fraud and corruption, and a wide variety of contractual claims.
She has particular expertise in construction and engineering disputes, with deep familiarity with delay, disruption, and other technical issues that often arise in large-scale projects. An MSc in Finance from the University of London enables her to bring strong financial and analytical insight to cases involving complex valuation, quantum, and accounting issues. Her practice frequently encompasses matters with a cross-border or conflicts of law dimension.
Recent notable cases include:
- Co-arbitrator in a DIAC arbitration (seat: Dubai) between a Qatari joint venture and a drilling contractor, in respect of a contractual claim concerning a road development project in Qatar.
- Advising a local authority in potential High Court proceedings against the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government concerning a claim for payment of ERDF funding, which the Defendant had failed to pay as a result of an alleged breach of European Union rules on state aid (led by Philip Coppel KC).
- Acting for a local authority in judicial review proceedings challenging the Secretary of State’s decision to claw back ERDF funding as a result of an alleged non-compliance with the applicable EU and national rules on competitive tendering (led by Philip Coppel KC).
- Adjudicator in a construction adjudication under the Tecbar Rules and the Scheme for Construction Contracts, concerning a dispute under a JCT Design and Build Contract 2016 Edition, about retention monies that were withheld due to an alleged defect in the carpeting in a hotel lobby.
- Counsel to a power company in ad hoc expert determination proceedings, followed by an LCIA Arbitration (seat: Mauritius) concerning a 50MW gas to power plant located in Rwanda.
- Counsel to the Claimant company in a High Court claim for professional negligence against a firm of solicitors, concerning their conduct of the Claimant’s opposition to renewal of a business tenancy pursuant to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and proceedings for relief from forfeiture pursuant to s. 146 of the Law of Property Act 1925 (led by Philip Coppel KC).
- Co-arbitrator in a DIAC arbitration (seat: DIFC) between a supranational financial institution and an African central bank, concerning the alleged non-payment of a facility agreement and enforcement of an associated mortgage.
- Advising a French multinational construction company in a dispute concerning delays and claims relating to the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in Ivory Coast.
- Counsel to a leading diversified natural resources company in an LCIA arbitration (seat: London) regarding the non-payment of VAT in respect of the sale of copper concentrate from a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo; as well as in two arbitrations (ICC Paris and Geneva) concerning a joint venture agreement for the exploitation of a mining permit for a different mine.
- Advising a Nigerian oil and gas exploration and production company in respect of a claim for recovery of an outstanding portion of the consideration payable under an agreement for the sale of an interest in an oil production sharing contract.
- Adjudicator in a construction adjudication under the Tecbar Rules and the Scheme for Construction Contracts (Scotland), concerning an oral contract for the external wall rendering and insulation works in respect of a project at various addresses in Scotland, in which the subcontractor made a claim for a notified sum arising out of an application for final payment.
- Advising a local authority in respect of a dispute concerning the extent of the authority’s obligation to transfer land to a school under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
- Adjudicator in a construction adjudication under the Tecbar Rules and the Scheme for Construction Contracts, concerning a contract for demolition and asbestos removal, in which the contractor claimed the outstanding balance of an alleged notified sum relating to an interim request for payment under a JCT Design and Build Contract 2016 Edition.
- Sole arbitrator in an ad hoc arbitration (seat: London) under the Water Industry Act 1991 concerning a claim for damages arising as a result of seismic survey work carried out by a water company.
- Advising a Mozambican electricity transmission company in respect of its claim for the claw-back of contributions it had made under disputed terms of a shareholders’ agreement.
- Sole arbitrator in five arbitrations concerning the non-payment of loans, under the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Business Arbitration Scheme Rules.
- Advising on two construction disputes concerning contract for a solar photovoltaic power projects in Burkina Faso.
- Advising a group of investors following the sale of their shares in a solar panel installation business, in respect of a claim made against them by the purchaser under the tax covenant in the share purchase agreement.
- Representing the subsidiary of an English power generation company in ICC expert determination proceedings concerning the interpretation of the currency true-up clauses in a power purchase agreement in Nigeria.
- Advising on the renegotiation of two energy optimisation agreements in the telecommunications sector, in Liberia and Sierra Leone respectively.
- Advising lenders under a convertible loan agreement in respect of various events of default by the borrowers, and the lenders’ consequent rights to enforce their security under a mortgage and share pledge.
- Representing a borrower in a High Court claim brought by a lender claiming repayment of sums under a loan for the purchase of an aircraft, together with a counterclaim by the borrower in respect of the lender’s conduct in terminating and accelerating the loan agreement, enforcing its mortgage over the aircraft, and allegedly failing to respect its duties to take reasonable steps to obtain a reasonable price for the asset (led by Philip Coppel KC): Lombard North Central Plc v European Skyjets Ltd [2022] EWHC 728 (QB).
- Acting for an Egyptian steel producer in an ICC arbitration (seat: Paris) claiming damages for the supply of a defective rolling mill in Egypt.
- Representing the contractor, a Spanish consortium, in 8 adjudications (and consequent settlement negotiations) relating to the construction of solar farms in England.
- Acting for a Polish member of a French construction group in an ICC arbitration (seat: Paris), defending a claim for damages arising from the sale of an allegedly defective office building in Poland.
- Acting for a French sugar and starch manufacturer in a dispute arising out of the construction of a cogeneration unit at an industrial site in Indonesia.
- Advising the executors of an English will in respect of the application of the will to certain assets (a boat registered in England, and a mooring right) located in France, including issues of governing law and inheritance tax.
- Obtaining a worldwide freezing order for an African national oil company owed money for the sale of its interest in an oil block (led by Rupert Reece).
- Representing a major Italian energy group in two separate ICC arbitrations (seats: Paris and Geneva) which concerned claims and counterclaims arising out of the construction of oil and gas plants in North Africa.
- Advising an energy major regarding the settlement of a dispute regarding a project in the offshore wind sector and the consequent redrafting of the project framework agreement.
- Obtaining a worldwide freezing order for a Turkish investor in a waste-to energy joint venture (led by Rupert Reece)
- Representing a West African national oil company in an ICC arbitration (seat: Paris) involving a dispute with its joint venture partner regarding the purchase and management of downstream oil and gas assets throughout Africa, as well as subsequent enforcement of the award.
- Advising a Northern Irish and a Canadian university in respect of claims for royalties under a research and licence agreement concerning the development of a veterinary vaccine.
- Advising a French food manufacturer on a potential claim against the directors of an English company in liquidation, including in respect of an alleged transfer at an undervalue / transactions defrauding creditors of the company’s trademarks to the company director.
- Representing a publishing house in an application for annulment before an ICSID ad hoc committee and resubmission for arbitration, regarding a claim against a South American state for discrimination and breach of the right to fair and equitable treatment.
- Representing an energy major in an ICC arbitration (seat: Geneva) arising out of the termination by breach of a shareholders’ agreement concerning a joint venture company in the energy sector.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
Natasha’s expertise spans the full spectrum of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. She has advised and represented clients in more than 40 international arbitrations, and regularly sits as an arbitrator and construction adjudicator. She is also a CMAP trained mediator and has experience of disputes boards and expert determinations.
Alongside her practice in chambers, Natasha has been a member of the arbitration teams of two heavyweight French law firms, Gide Loyrette Nouel (2006 – 2022) and Trinity International AARPI (2022 – present). In this capacity, she has accompanied multinational corporations, States, and high-net worth individuals in the resolution of complex, cross-border commercial disputes, often in challenging emerging markets. Her practice has focussed not only on litigating and arbitrating disputes, but also on preventing them through proactive contract management, negotiation, mediation and other early intervention techniques.
- Planning and Environment
Many of Natasha’s cases, particularly those in the energy and natural resource sectors, involve questions of environmental law and ESG. She is therefore familiar with the legal and policy issues arising in these fields, both on a national and international level.
Natasha also has experience of consumer and commercial disputes in the water and renewables industries, having regularly acted as an adjudicator/ arbitrator in these fields, including for the WATRS and RECC schemes under the aegis of the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).
She has also acted as an arbitrator in an arbitration under the Water Industry Act 1991 concerning a claim for damages arising as a result of seismic survey work carried out by a water company.