Boutique by Design - International by Instinct
Deren is a second-year Trainee Solicitor with experience in commercial law and international law. She has supported various filings on complex international construction arbitrations and commercial disputes, including Security for Costs submissions and interim relief in respect of Bonds and Guarantees. Representative current matters include:
Before joining Hamish Lal Partners, Deren gained solid experience with international law firms. Most notably, she contributed to an international Initial Public Offering and supported senior associates in drafting risk assessments in Turkish and English. She is passionate about Pro Bono work, her dedication is reflected in her time as Co-President of the King’s College London Pro Bono Society, where she led projects and fundraisers in Climate Justice, Human Rights, and ADR. She also completed negotiation and commercial mediation courses, further enhancing her skill set in dispute resolution.
During her time as a Trainee Solicitor, Deren interviewed Professor John Uff CBE KC during London Arbitration Week 2025. She has drafted several Client Alerts and has been published in a leading peer-reviewed journal:
The maxim of ne ultra petita is well-understood. But, Tribunals also enjoy discretion to conduct arbitrations efficiently. What happens when these two concepts clash? What if the parties do not seek a particular relief, but a tribunal orders it believing such relief aids efficiency? The Paris Court of Appeal considered the above in Tecnimont […]
The Singapore High Court in DRL v DRK [2026] SGHC 32 upheld an Award rendered by a SIAC-administered arbitral tribunal which had terminated an arbitration on the basis that it was impossible to proceed with the arbitration due to sanctions. The situation is nuanced. We say this because – different to Singapore – Courts in […]
Hamish Lal was the Presiding Arbitrator of a Tribunal that also included Sir Patterson Cheltenham (former Chief Justice of Barbados) and Ms Vicki Telford B. Arch, MBC, FCIArb, RA, BIA. The Tribunal sat at the University of the West Indies on 26 February 2026 at the Final Hearing of the Berrys International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competition […]
Hamish Lal has been Author of Part A of the Manual of Construction Agreements, published by LexisNexis, since 2015. The Manual of Construction Agreements is a comprehensive guide to the law and practice governing construction contracts, with a focus on the major standard form agreements. Part A provides an in‑depth analysis of the relevant areas […]
Hamish Lal has been both General Editor and the International Case Note Editor of the Construction Law Journal, published by Sweet & Maxwell, since 2022. Ece Tahan is Editorial Assistant of the Construction Law Journal. The Construction Law Journal provides an authoritative forum to which construction law professionals can turn for guidance, comment, and informed […]
Case law on FIDIC Contracts is always instructive. In Uniform Building Contractors Ltd v Water and Sewerage Authority of Trinidad and Tobago [2026] UKPC 2, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council looked at the FIDIC Yellow Book (1999 Edition). The Judgment provides authoritative guidance on (i) the proper analysis of variations; (ii) the limits […]
