Clyde & Co has hired ArcelorMittal’s global head of disputes, Nav Juty, as a partner in the firm’s London energy and construction practice.
The move marks a return to private practice for the former Simmons & Simmons partner after various senior in-house legal roles. Juty joins after four years at the steelmaking giant, with the appointment adding experience in construction and infrastructure disputes, project delivery and contractual risk management to her new firm’s practice.
Steve Cannon, London partner and UK co-chair of Clyde & Co’s energy and construction group, said: “Nav is a highly experienced construction disputes lawyer whose perspective has been shaped by working on major projects from every side, in private practice, as project counsel and in senior in-house leadership roles.”
He added: “She understands how issues emerge during project delivery and how early decisions can influence a dispute’s outcome later on. Her experience will add considerable strength to our infrastructure and construction practice.”
Juty’s practice spans litigation, arbitration, adjudication and mediation, alongside claims management and settlement strategy. She also advises on drafting and negotiating contracts in the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors.
Her project delivery work includes advising on delay, defects, design liability and variations, as well as identifying potential disputes. She served as project counsel on HS1 and Crossrail – two major UK rail infrastructure projects – and has worked on other infrastructure programmes across Europe and the Middle East.
Before ArcelorMittal, Juty spent six years as assistant general counsel at engineering and infrastructure company Aecom, leading legal project risk. Her responsibilities included identifying distressed and high-risk projects, advising on bids and managing significant disputes globally.
She joined Aecom in 2016 after more than five years at Simmons & Simmons, where she became a partner in 2013. She qualified as a solicitor in 1994 and has more than 25 years’ experience across private practice and in-house roles.
During her time at ArcelorMittal, the company pursued High Court proceedings against Liberty Steel following LCIA awards, including enforcement and related insolvency proceedings.
Juty said: “Construction and infrastructure projects are becoming more complex, increasingly technical and more exposed to regulatory requirements, delay, supply chain pressures, funding scrutiny and interface risk. Clients increasingly need advisers who can help them identify and manage these issues before they develop into major disputes.”
She added: “My experience has given me an understanding of the entire project lifecycle, from how contracts are drafted and negotiated, through their administration on live projects, to how those issues can ultimately develop into claims, adjudications, arbitrations or litigation.
“Having worked in senior in-house positions across multiple jurisdictions, I also understand what clients need from their external advisers,” she concluded.
Her arrival follows other senior in-house counsel appointments at Clyde & Co, such as Dave Pflieger in the US and Tannie Kwong in Hong Kong, both recruited from the aviation industry.
Juty’s hire also follows Clyde & Co’s promotion of six London insurance lawyers to partner, after previously making 28 promotions in its annual round. The firm has seen several heavyweight departures from its arbitration, aviation and energy practices, including former LIDW co-chair, Professor Loukas Mistelis, though they were later mitigated by other senior arrivals.
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