Our Experts

Karen Best

Partner

Email V-card Profile

Highlights

A decade of contracting experience as a site engineer and agent.
More than 30 expert or assistant expert commissions.
Widely experienced in common methods of delay analysis.
Delivers concise and clear determinations.
Varied experience across project sectors and values.

Services

Construction Delay & Disruption | International Arbitration

Industries

“The outstanding delay expert”, Karen Best is praised for “her performance in cross-examination”. With experience across power plants, industrial facilities and infrastructure projects, she specialises in critical path methods of retrospective delay analysis.
Lexology Index - Construction - Thought Leader

Expertise

Karen Best is a chartered civil engineer with over 30 years of experience in the construction and engineering industries. She worked as a site agent and senior engineer for almost a decade on a variety of civil engineering projects throughout the UK, ranging from marine, bridges and heavy civils projects to work on the construction of the London Eye, giving her a strong grounding for the delay expert roles that she undertakes.

Karen has been appointed as a delay expert on more than 25 occasions regarding oil and gas, power, technology and building projects across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Karen has been cross-examined in arbitration twice and has a wide range of expert witness training from various institutions, including the Academy of Experts, Bond Solon, the Expert Witness Institute and Pearson Education.

Karen is experienced in construction management, project planning and critical path methods of retrospective delay analysis. She has worked on expert appointments related to delay and disruption claims regarding civil engineering and building contracts from power plants in Qatar and industrial facilities in Australia to numerous buildings and infrastructure projects across Europe, UK, the Middle East and Africa.

Professional recognition

Lexology Index

Construction – Thought Leader

With over three decades of experience, Karen Best is a “very experienced expert” who is commended by peers and clients alike for her “attention to detail and excellent communication skills” when handling major construction delay issues.
Lexology Index - Consulting - Construction - Quantum, Delay and Technical

Background

Karen is widely experienced as a site engineer and has worked on a variety of civil engineering projects across the UK. These range from marine, bridges and heavy civils projects including work on the construction of the London Eye. As a site agent, Karen was responsible for various projects, planning and organising works on site, and liaising with clients and subcontractors.

Karen has a masters in construction law and arbitration and is a regular presenter at joint CIOB masterclasses. She presents on the subjects of delay analysis and developing the master programme, and has presented at the RICS autumn seminar series on the same topic. Karen is highly regarded by clients and colleagues alike; during last minute preparation for a potential testimony a client espoused that, “she was well prepared and supremely confident in assessing and digesting difficult subject matter” and that, “the intricate … analysis was evenly balanced with an overall assessment [that] fit perfectly with the legal strategy of the case”. Senior experts that she has assisted advise that Karen is, “an invaluable lead assistant” and that she excels at, “getting to grips with the detail”.