Alexander leads the litigation and dispute management practice in our Doha office and is part of our Middle East construction team.
Alex acts for a wide range of commercial clients, with a specialist focus on construction and infrastructure projects in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman.
Alex is ranked as ‘Band 1’ by Chambers and Partners 2025 in the ‘Dispute Resolution: International Arbitration’ category.
Alex is experienced in both contentious and non-contentious matters, and prides himself on his ability to support a client from the inception of a project, provide commercial and pragmatic advice at all stages of the project life-cycle, take a firm and reliable lead in commercial negotiations and mediations to push a project to completion, and provide robust, thorough and cost effective solutions when arbitration or litigation is unavoidable.
Contentious matters and dispute resolution is Alexander’s specialism, with a particular focus on arbitrations under ICC, QICCA, LCIA, SCCA and local rules. Alex regularly leads local and international arbitral proceedings, as well as mediations, DABs, expert determinations and negotiations. He is also regularly appointed as an arbitrator on construction disputes.
Alex combines a clear and succinct advisory style with a detailed understanding of industry issues and local law. He has substantial experience in preparing advice on a range of issues, including termination and suspension, delay and disruption, acceleration, damages, bonds, debt recovery and professional liability.
Alex has lived and worked in Doha since 2014, and is qualified in England & Wales. Prior to joining Eversheds Sutherland, Alex led the dispute resolution team in Qatar for Simmons & Simmons. Before that, Alex was part of the construction team for a major international law firm in London, and has also undertaken a secondment with a UK-based construction company.
The dispute resolution practice in Qatar is ranked as ‘Band 1’ by Chambers and Partners 2025, which described Alexander as “an esteemed lawyer who is noted for his skills in handling construction arbitrations, with experience acting for a number of prominent clients in the projects and infrastructure sector, among others. He regularly appears in ICC, LCIA and QICCA arbitration proceedings.” Client quotations include: “Alexander is at the top of his game. His strategic instincts are spot-on and his responsiveness to clients is the best I’ve seen. He is a real class act.”
The dispute resolution practice in Qatar is also ranked by Legal 500 2025 which noted that the team “employs its ‘excellent, refined and unique litigation strategy’ to support clients across a range of sectors, including construction, financial services, and large-scale hospitality.” Exceptionally engaged‘ team head Alexander Whyatt is ‘laser-focused on getting the best result for the client’.” Client quotations from Legal 500 include: "Alexander Whyatt is exceptionally engaged and responsive, and a real pleasure to work with ... an excellent strategist with a highly pragmatic approach, who goes the extra mile." "Alexander Whyatt is a calm and safe pair of hands, always striving to do the best for his clients. Perhaps the best litigator in town."
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A selection of Alexander’s experience includes:
Dispute Resolution experience
- Mediation and expert determination: Successfully led a mediation and subsequent expert determination, including oral advocacy, for an operator of a large industrial plant in Qatar. Issues included delay and termination, as well as reputational and future losses.
- Arbitration: Acted for a ground-works contractor as claimant in a high value ICC arbitration regarding the termination of a contract for the construction of a leisure resort, including issues such as the quantification of works, the allocation of delay responsibility and concurrency, and liability for consequential losses.
- QFC Courts: Acted for an international contractor on a claim against a bank in the QFC Courts, including complex issues of Qatari and QFC law, bad faith and fraud, and the quantification of consequential losses. The case is used a legal precedent within the court in relation to professional obligations and associated legal duties.
- Arbitration: Acted for a claimant contractor in three linked ICC proceedings seated in London regarding a petrochemical plant, including issues such as variations, delay, disruption and acceleration, as well as interim issues of jurisdiction and admissibility.
- Qatari courts: Acted as strategic adviser to an international contractor on a local court claim against a developer, including the development of claims and securing an injunction on bond demands.
- Arbitration: Acted for a Japanese contractor in the defence of ad hoc arbitral proceedings, including issues of legal capacity, negligence and fraud, as well as variations, scope changes, delays and disruption - this case required detailed expert and factual evidence on Qatari law, as well as expert delay and quantum input.
Project Support
- Claims advice: Acted for a European contractor on the Doha Metro in the preparation of claims, including strategic claims guidance, the preparation of a template form of claim document, and detailed claims input.
- Contract interpretation: Acted for an international contractor on a hotel project, including detailed analysis of issues such as concurrency, force majeure, damages quantification, omissions and certifications.
- Termination and suspension: Provided strategic guidance under Qatari law to a government entity regarding its ability to suspend and terminate contracts, force majeure, and the assessment of damages.
- Negotiation support: Acted for an Asian contractor in the assessment of claims against an employer on an infrastructure project, including the assessment of variations, omissions, delays, disruptions, changes in law, and nominated subcontractor defaults - the advice was structured to be easily understood in a second language, and to provide a quick reference guide during negotiations.
Contract drafting and negotiation
- FIDIC: Drafted a ‘Yellow Book’ contract for a developer in respect of a hotel and associated facilities. This required bespoke drafting to account for specific client requirements and for two-stage procurement.
- Settlement: Drafted a bespoke and highly complicated settlement agreement in respect of a medical facility in Qatar, including extensive consultation with stakeholders, technical experts and commercial representatives, and the drafting of bespoke testing, hand-over and valuation mechanisms.
- D&B Contract: Negotiated a bespoke contract for a large water park facility, including an intense three-day negotiation. Also drafted subcontract flow-downs and warranties, and bond and consultancy agreements.
- England and Wales (2010)
- Executive Committee for the Society of Construction Law (Gulf)
- LP.C, Nottingham Trent University, UK (2008)
- LL.B Graduate Diploma in Law, Oxford Brookes University, UK (2007)
- BSc Biology, Durham University, UK (2003 - 2006)