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Experience

Liam is a commercial barrister specialising in commercial, construction and insurance proceedings.

Liam is recognised in the peer reviewed Doyle's Guide as a preeminent construction and infrastructure law barrister in Victoria and Australia wide.

He has particular expertise in acting (led and unled) in substantial and complex construction and engineering disputes involving litigation or arbitration. Many of these disputes concern major infrastructure projects (across a range of sectors including energy, roads, waste-water treatment plants, desalination plants and hospitals) and involve complex issues of delay, disruption, contract termination and professional negligence.

Liam is also experienced in acting in disputes involving the security of payment legislation, including applications for judicial review, having been involved in a number of significant decisions in this area.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Liam worked as a solicitor in the construction and engineering practice of a global law firm.

Liam is a member of Victorian Bar's Building and Construction law group, the Building Dispute Practitioners Society and the Society of Construction Law Australia.

A selection of recent cases/ significant cases:

Court proceedings (various)

Pirmax Pty Ltd v Kingspan Insulation Pty Ltd [2022] FCA 1340

Acting for the Respondent and Cross-claimant in a proceeding concerning allegations of misleading or deceptive conduct and false product performance claims made in relation to thermal insulation products (with C Archibald KC and A Terzic).

Rescom Lennox Street Pty Ltd v Clark Cranes Pty Ltd & Ors (Supreme Court Proceeding)(ongoing)

Acting for a developer seeking to recover substantial losses incurred as a result of the collapse of a crane during the construction of an apartment complex (unled).

Gemcan Constructions Pty Ltd v Westbourne Grammar School [2022] VSC 6

Acting for the builder in an arbitration involving claims of delay and variations and the subsequent enforcement of an arbitral award (unled).

Lendlease Building Pty Ltd v Scientific Fire Services Pty Ltd & Ors (Supreme Court Proceeding) (ongoing)

Acting for a claimant seeking to recover losses incurred in connection with claims of professional negligence made as a result of the construction of an apartment building with combustible cladding (with N Pane KC)

Tesseract International Pty Ltd v Pascale Construction Pty Ltd [2022] SASCA 107

Acting for the Applicant in the referral of a preliminary question as to whether State and Commonwealth proportionate liability provisions apply in arbitration (with B Walker SC and T Margetts KC)

John Holland Pty Ltd v The Minister for Works (Western Australian Supreme Court Proceeding)(2022)

Acting for the Minister for Works in a complex dispute involving alleged delay and variation claims in the vicinity of $150M arising from the construction of the Perth Children’s Hospital (with M Roberts KC and J Taylor SC)

Tesseract International Pty Ltd v Pascale Construction Pty Ltd [2021] SASCA 8

Acting for an appellant seeking to set aside a decision regarding the enforceability of dispute resolution clause in a construction contract (with T J Margetts QC).

Transurban WGT Co Pty Ltd v CPB Contractors Pty Ltd [2020] VSC 476

Acting for Transurban in application for declaratory and injunctive relief in a major dispute arising from the construction of the West Gate Tunnel Project (with B Walker SC, M Roberts QC, J Moore QC, T Breakspear and J Gregory).

Gemcan Constructions Pty Ltd v Westbourne Grammar School [2020] VSC 429

Acting for a contractor in an application to enforce an arbitration clause in a construction contract (unled).

Rocke Brothers Pty Ltd v Civilmech Pty Ltd & Ors (2020) (Supreme Court proceeding)

Acting for a structural engineer defending claims of professional negligence involving alleged failures to take reasonable care (unled).

Sitzler Pty Ltd v GPT RE Ltd [2019] (Federal Court proceeding)

Acting for the head contractor in complex multiparty proceeding in the Federal Court involving professional negligence, alleged building defects and disputed variations (with R Manly QC).

Monde Construction & Refrigeration Pty Ltd v Intrax Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd (2018)(Supreme Court Proceeding).

Acting for a structural engineer defending claims of professional negligence involving alleged failures to take reasonable care (with T Margetts QC).

Construction Engineering (Aust) Pty Ltd v Adams Engineering Pty Ltd (2017)(Supreme Court Proceeding)

Acting for the head contractor in a claim against a civil and structural engineer in relation to claims for additional construction and delay costs as a result of alleged deficient engineering design in relation to the delivery of a major shopping centre. (with M Roberts QC).

Security of payment matters

Whitehorse Box Hill Pty Ltd v Alliance CG Pty Ltd & Anor [2022] VSC 22

Application for judicial review of an adjudication determination made under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) (unled).

MKA Bowen v Carelli Constructions [2019] VSC 436

Acting for a contractor applying to set aside an adjudication determination made under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) on the basis of jurisdictional error (unled).

Westbourne Grammar School v Gemcan Constructions Pty Ltd [2017] VSC 645

Application for judicial review of an adjudication determination made under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) (unled).

SSC Plenty Road Pty Ltd v Construction Engineering (Aust) Pty Ltd [2016] VSCA 119

Court of Appeal Proceeding. Acting for the head contractor defending an appeal involving the application of the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) (with T Margetts QC).

Krongold Constructions (Aust) Pty Ltd v SR & RS Wales Pty Ltd [2016] VSC 94

Application for judicial review of an adjudication determination made under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) (with Mark Robins QC).

Milburn Lake Pty Ltd (trading as Irwin Stockfeeds) v Andritz Pty Ltd [2016] VSC 3

Application for judicial review of an adjudication determination made under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) (unled).

Façade Treatment Engineering v Brookfield Multiplex [2015] VSC 41

Application for judicial review of an adjudication determination made under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) (with M Roberts QC).

Arbitration proceedings

G v W (2021)

Acting for the contractor in arbitration proceeding involving disputes regarding variations, liquidated damages, extension of time and termination (unled).

RC v WW (2020)

Acting for contractor in a dispute involving the construction of a sewerage infrastructure works.

Expert determination

G v E (2018)

Appointed as an expert to determine dispute concerning the interpretation of a variation clause in a major residential apartment development.

From 21st June 2011, liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.