Jennie Gillies KC specialises in high-value domestic and international construction and engineering disputes. Appointed to Silk in 2026 following a standout career as a senior junior, Jennie is widely recognised for her  intellect, meticulous attention to detail, and deep commercial focus.

She brings a rare, multi-dimensional perspective to her legal practice. Having spent 15 years building a premier construction practice at 4 Pump Court, she made a lateral move in-house in 2015 to serve as the global Head of Dispute Resolution for Arup. In this role, she managed a large portfolio of complex domestic and international disputes. Returning to the Bar in 2019, Jennie’s experience of sitting in "the client’s chair" and directing legal strategies leaves her uniquely equipped to navigate commercial pressures and interface with project stakeholders.

Jennie’s core areas of expertise are:

• Construction & Engineering: Jennie has extensive experience of major infrastructure, commercial, rail, defence, and energy development disputes both domestic and international —with past instructions involving cases in the UK, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific.

• Building Safety: At the forefront of building safety litigation, Jennie has very extensive experience handling high-profile structural and non-compliant cladding disputes in both the High Court and the First-tier/Upper Tribunals. She regularly acts in applications for Remediation Orders, Remediation Contribution Orders, and Building Liability Orders. She was a founding member of the BSA Working Group chaired by The Honourable Mr Justice Constable.

• Professional Negligence & Recovery Actions: Jennie is highly sought after for recovery actions and complex liability claims involving construction professionals, including engineers, architects, project monitors, approved inspectors and surveyors.

• Commercial & Insurance Dispute Resolution: Adept at handling a wide spectrum of complex commercial litigation and advice, Jennie's practice encompasses high-value contractual interpretation, termination claims, multi-million-pound payment or fee disputes, and insurance recovery actions.

Alongside her work as counsel, Jennie is rapidly building a distinguished practice as an arbitrator, drawing upon her deep industry insight and dual perspective from private practice and her time in-house. Jennie is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and, reflecting her growing reputation in this field, has recently been invited to join both the International Construction Arbitrators' Association and the Society of Construction Arbitrators. She is available for appointments in both domestic and international tribunals.