Profile
Year of Call:
1998Overview
Michael has a broad commercial practice providing advice and assistance with disputes in the following fields: building and construction, general commercial matters, insolvency, banking & finance, insurance & re-insurance, professional negligence and commercial property.
Michael’s practice encompasses appearances in courts, arbitrations, mediations and commissions and work as a mediator or arbitrator.
He is listed in Band 1 and one of only six ranked junior barristers in Australia for Construction & Infrastructure by Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific 2022, having been listed in Band 1 by Chambers & Partners in 2016 to 2022.
The current edition of Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Profession lists Michael as a ‘preeminent’, ‘leading’ or ‘recommended’ junior for the following areas: Commercial Litigation & Disputes (National and Queensland); Construction & Infrastructure (National and Queensland); and Insolvency & Restructuring (National and Queensland).
Legal 500’s Asia Pacific guide to the Australian Bar has ranked Michael in Band 1 for Construction since 2021.
In addition, Michael is listed in the Australian Financial Review’s Best Lawyers® 2017-2021 for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction & Infrastructure and Litigation, and for International Arbitration in 2021-23. The 2023 guide listed him as Brisbane’s ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for International Arbitration.
Experience
Michael was originally admitted as a barrister and solicitor in South Australia in 1998 and worked for DLA Piper (then Phillips Fox) for 8 years in Adelaide and Brisbane handling commercial disputes, professional indemnity disputes, product liability claims, insurance disputes and other claims (including acting as counsel at trial and in the interlocutory stages in a number of those disputes).
Michael was also a lawyer and senior associate with Clyde & Co and Clifford Chance LLP in London for almost 5 years prior to coming to the bar in Brisbane and was involved in a variety of commercial disputes, including acting for Brookfield Multiplex UK in disputes arising out of the construction of the new Wembley Stadium, numerous commercial, insurance and reinsurance arbitrations and in other contractual disputes and regulatory matters. Michael qualified as a “Solicitor Advocate” during his time in the United Kingdom.
In addition to the reported matters referred to, Michael has acted:
- in numerous building and construction claims and arbitrations: including for a developer in a multi-million dollar dispute over the construction of a large apartment development in New Farm, in a litigated dispute over the construction of a residential, commercial and hotel development on the Gold Coast and in numerous significant infrastructure and resource-related arbitrations;
- for and against banks, liquidators, administrators and receivers in numerous claims (including those arising from finance agreements, guarantees, statutory demands and winding up applications);
- as counsel in a number of public examinations, the coronial inquest into deaths arising during the course of the home insulation scheme, the Crime & Corruption Commission Inquiry into local government elections in 2016 and ASIC inquiries;
- in numerous contractual disputes in a commercial setting – including disputes arising out of supply contracts, restraint of trade clauses, sales of businesses and the like;
- in numerous professional negligence claims (including in claims against valuers, accountants, solicitors and construction professionals);
- for vendors, purchasers and a Council in various property related disputes (including disputes arising out of contracts for the sale of residential and commercial property and disputes arising out of commercial leases);
- in numerous resources related disputes (including arbitration); and,
- in oppression claims and other corporate disputes (between directors, shareholders and companies).
Michael is also an active participant in various continuing professional development programmes. In addition to the presentation of seminars at firms, Michael has been invited to speak at many industry events, including presentations to the Society of Construction Law Australia (Queensland, Western Australia and National).
Recommendations
Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific 2016-2024 (Band 1)
Listed as a ‘leading’ junior for Construction & Infrastructure.
- 2025 “He is clever, client friendly and one of the few subject matter experts who understands the area” and “Michael is an experienced and capable operator.”
- 2024 “excellent construction barrister with significant experience“.
- 2023 “easily one of the top three junior counsel in Australia for construction matters“.
- 2022 “always considered, commercial and practical“.
- 2021 “great attention to detail” and “very high-quality work“.
- 2020 “He makes himself available when you need him and he doesn’t back out of his opinions; he forms his views and he sticks with them“.
- 2019 “one of the outstanding construction juniors in Australia who has been involved in every bit of good construction litigation in Brisbane” and “he has a good rapport with the court and he has the skill where he can communicate with the clients“.
- 2018 “excellent credentials in the construction space” and “a good rapport with the Bench, he is respectful and courteous, he has a very good technical grounding in construction law and civil procedure, and he is very good at nurturing the junior lawyers who work with him“
- 2017 “very bright and dedicated, with a strong understanding of construction, infrastructure and engineering issues“.
- 2016 “sought-after junior with a growing reputation“
Chambers & Partners Global 2021-2022, 2024 (Band 1)
Listed as a ‘leading’ junior for Construction & Infrastructure
- 2024
- 2022
- 2021
The Legal 500 2021 (Band 1)
Construction
- 2024 – “Michael is an outstanding legal talent. He is an excellent advocate, and a delight to work with on a personal level“
- 2023 – “…an outstanding legal talent. He is an excellent advocate, and a delight to work with on a personal level“.
- 2022 – “He has the strategic insights of an established silk. He is a rising star.“
- 2021 – “Exceptionally bright and hard-working and a first-class advocate.“
Australian Financial Review’s Best Lawyers
- 2021-25 – Listed for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction & Infrastructure, International Arbitration and Litigation
- 2023 – Listed as Brisbane’s International Arbitration ‘Lawyer of the Year’
- 2020 – Listed for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction & Infrastructure and Litigation
- 2019 – Listed for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction & Infrastructure and Litigation
- 2018 – Listed for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction & Infrastructure and Litigation
- 2017 – Listed for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction & Infrastructure and Litigation
Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Profession
Insolvency & Restructuring
- 2024 ‘Leading’ (Queensland)
- 2023 ‘Leading’ (Queensland)
- 2022 ‘Recommended’ (Queensland)
- 2021 ‘Recommended’ (Queensland)
- 2020 ‘Recommended’ (Queensland)
- 2019 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2018 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2017 ‘Recommended’ (National)
- 2017 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2016 ‘Recommended’ junior (Queensland)
Commercial litigation & Disputes
- 2024 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2023 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2022 ‘Recommended’ junior (Australia)
- 2022 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2021 ‘Leading’ junior (Australia)
- 2021 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2020 ‘Leading’ junior (Australia)
- 2020 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2019 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2018 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2017 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
- 2015 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
Construction & Infrastructure
- 2024 ‘Recommended’ junior (National)
- 2024 ‘Preeminent’ junior (Queensland)
- 2023 ‘Recommended’ junior (National)
- 2023 ‘Preeminent’ junior (Queensland)
- 2022 ‘Preeminent’ junior (Queensland)
- 2021 ‘Leading’ junior (National)
- 2021 ‘Preeminent’ junior (Queensland)
- 2020 ‘Preeminent’ junior (Queensland)
- 2019 ‘Preeminent’ junior (Queensland)
- 2018 ‘Recommended’ junior (National)
- 2018 ‘Preeminent’ junior (Queensland)
- 2017 ‘Recommended’ junior (National)
- 2017 ‘Leading’ junior (Queensland)
Michael has been ‘recommended’ for Building and Construction in Brisbane for four previous years.
See also LinkedIn profile for recommendations: public profile here.
Appointments
Queensland Bar Association’s Building and Construction Committee
Member
Bar Association of Queensland
Society of Construction Law Australia
Education
1998 University of South Australia, Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice
1997 Flinders University, Bachelor of Laws
Directory / Industry Comments