Baker Merz Construction Lawyers (T/As Construction Lawyers Brisbane) provides tailored legal services with dual accreditation from both the Law Society and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Why engage a Law Firm that needs to be assisted by a "team of experts" when you have access to our Construction Experts that develop 100s of projects before coming into the law.
Our services are uniquely tailored to address the specific needs of construction projects in Bundaberg, leveraging our deep understanding of the local industry dynamics.
Our team’s diverse project development background, covering design engineering, estimating, and construction management, gives us hands-on, practical expertise. Our lawyers are accredited with MCIBSE, MRICS, C.Eng, MAIPM, and CIARB, ensuring we understand the complexities you face.
We manage cost or delay claims internally and develop customised strategies for effective resolutions. Our strategic approach has been particularly effective for projects across Bundaberg, helping clients navigate local disputes efficiently. As QBCC Adjudicators, we manage cases under the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act and represent clients in QBCC disputes involving defects, costs, and licensing issues. We also represent clients across tribunals, magistrates, district, and supreme courts to protect your interests.
Our experience working with Bundaberg-based contractors ensures a thorough understanding of the specific challenges faced in this region.
Our legal team's unique project development background in design engineering, estimating and construction management (our lawyers hold current MCIBSE, C.Eng, MRICS, MAIPM and CIARB certifications) gives us the first-hand on-site construction expertise that earns our client's immediate trust. These credentials guarantee that we will fully understand your situation, develop your cost or delay claim in-house, and select the most appropriate legal approach and strategy to deliver results quickly and efficiently. As QBCC Adjudicators, we are well-versed in the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act. and provide representation in QBCC defects, cost and licensing disputes. We also actively represent clients across various courts, including tribunals, magistrates, district, and supreme courts.
We offer straightforward, concise advice based on extensive experience in the construction industry.
Key considerations when selecting legal representation in the construction industry include:
Experience in Construction: Our team includes quantity surveyors (QSs) and engineers with years of on-site experience as commercial managers. This equips us to interpret complex clauses in construction contracts, helping clients navigate today’s litigious construction environment.
Understanding of Local Regulations: We are deeply familiar with building approval processes, compliance with Australian standards, building codes, and licensing requirements specific to the Bundaberg area.
Expertise with Construction Contracts: Whether you need assistance with HIA, EPC, PMC, MB, EPCM, TA, RCA, or JV contracts, our team ensures your interests are safeguarded at every stage.
Industry Insight: We have advised CEOs and boards of major construction companies, offering practical and strategic advice based on a comprehensive understanding of construction operations.
Dispute Resolution Expertise: If disputes arise, we specialise in resolving issues through adjudication, tribunals, or court processes, striving to present clear, solid cases for a quick resolution.
Our focus on service, responsiveness, and cost control ensures you receive expert guidance with a commitment to building long-term relationships.
With our engineering expertise and on-site construction experience, we provide contract recommendations covering rights, liabilities, duties, and scope.
We are proficient in Australian Standard Contracts (AS4000, AS2124), Master Builders Association (MBA) agreements, Australian Building Industry Contracts (ABIC), Security of Payments Act compliance, as well as FIDIC, NEC4, and JCT contracts. We conduct pre-contract audits, suggesting amendments to mitigate risks and align contracts with your interests.
We conduct contract analyses, reviewing drawings, specifications, and site records to determine claim merit. Our claims are written concisely, incorporating Critical Path Method (CPM) delay analyses.
Before proceeding with QBCC adjudication, we assess affidavits and expert reports, ensuring claims are robust. We represent clients in both formal and informal proceedings, guiding them through the process for swift dispute resolution.
We analyse baseline schedules and progress updates, identifying delay causes, including concurrent delays. We quantify disruption claims using earned value or measured mile methodologies. Our claim documents present delay data in an auditable format. We also prepare acceleration claims and provide third-party independent reports.
We assist clients in developing procurement and contracting strategies, reducing project risks. Our approach helps maintain cash flow and reduces administration costs, ensuring projects stay on track.
We help developers form joint ventures and secure financing. In Bundaberg, we have successfully facilitated partnerships that are instrumental in regional project success. We assist in selecting project structures, contract types, and acquiring planning approvals. We prepare teaming agreements, NDAs, EOIs, RFTs, and draft contracts.
We provide technical and legal advice on defects, insurance options, and manage major insurance claims. Our services include policy drafting, indemnity advice, subrogation matters, and representing clients with insurers.
“I am extremely grateful
for your professional assistance in this matter. Four different law firms and no one has taught us about these procedures before, thank you.”
“They had a building full of lawyers against the two of us. We would not have prevailed without your technical and construction knowledge.”
“I thought I was losing my business... thank you.”
Some 50% of our clients settle their disputes even before legal action commences. This is because we prepare fully substantiated cost and delay claims that deal with defects, variations, valuation, disruption, and payment disputes on their projects with a solid contractual/legal argument that leads to commercial negotiations and early settlement.
With 30 years of experience participating in design engineering teams and on-site construction (for leading companies CPB, CIMIC, Lend Lease, AECOM, Fluor, Nova, Parsons, WSP, High Commission for KSA), we guarantee our complete understanding of the issues that arise on construction sites and understand the perspectives of all participants and stakeholders involved in a building dispute - we likely already dealt with a dispute involving similar circumstances to what brought you to this website.
Why Choose us?
Contact us today for exceptional legal solutions backed by practical construction knowledge.