Aerial view of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline Aerial view of a construction site excavation with excavators and workers Steel arch railway bridge crossing a wide river at sunset

Construction Law.
Aligned.
Straight to the point.

Understanding your projects.
Advising on the risks.
Advocating for your commercial goals.

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What we do

True to the line, start to finish

Plumb Law guides contractors, subcontractors, developers, suppliers and consultants through all stages of their projects — the contracts, delivery, and the disputes that can follow.

Architectural plans and blueprints spread across a desk

Before the dotted line…

The best value for money you'll get from a lawyer comes before the deal is locked in. So choose carefully.

  • We regularly work with all standard form contracts — GC21, the AS suite, NEC4, government contracts, residential industry standard contracts.
  • We also frequently advise on, and prepare, bespoke contracts for industry players at all levels.

Our formula is simple:

  • Understanding your approach to the project.
  • Advising on the right contract to match your tendering approach.
  • Explaining how the contract actually works, by reference to what you're planning to deliver and how you're planning to deliver it.
  • Clarifying the risks posed by a contract and the best ways to address them.
  • Delivering sharp strategies to win profitable work under suitable contracts.
Construction cranes and high-rise buildings under construction in Sydney

Delivery

When your team is busy delivering on site, you need simplified plug and play advice, not jargon or further complexity.

We have real world inhouse experience in:

  • Supporting commercial teams to understand, and overcome, the contractual hurdles to successful claims.
  • Preparing and implementing succinct contract administration documentation and procedures.
  • Anticipating claims and positioning to safeguard recovery of time and cost.
Waterfront construction site with barge and cranes at the new Sydney Fish Market

Disputes

  • When a contractual relationship breaks down, we're there to protect and advance your position in the most cost-effective way possible.
  • Our difference is in advocating for clients with not only a deep understanding of the law, but an acute appreciation for how projects are delivered and how construction businesses manage their bottom line.
  • With a long track record of success acting for claimants and respondents, Security of Payment disputes are our bread and butter.
  • We regularly protect clients in all major building and construction forums, including the NSW Supreme Court, District Court, Local Court and NCAT, the Victorian Courts, Building Appeals Board and VCAT.
Oversize load heavy vehicle transport truck on a rural Australian road

Commercial and Compliance

  • We support clients in keeping all forms of commercial transactions running smoothly.
  • We also understand the complexities of getting materials and plant to and from site, and have a spotless record of defending clients under the Heavy Vehicle National Laws.
  • Licensing issues can be a major disruption to your business — we're here to guide you through the requirements and advocate on your behalf in response to any enforcement action.
Sydney Harbour Bridge and city skyline at sunset with boats on the water Newcastle NSW skyline and waterfront at dusk with a construction crane

Who we are

The experience to understand your projects and your needs. The agility to deliver quickly and cost effectively.

With over a decade in the building and construction and legal industries — on site, as in house counsel, and in private practice — our focus is clear: leveraging our team and industry partners into the best outcomes.

Our founder and Managing Director, Pat Ireland, advises a wide variety of construction industry participants in all aspects of their projects.

Prior to founding Plumb Law, Pat was a solicitor in highly-regarded construction-focused law firms and was the sole in house counsel for a national Tier 2 civil infrastructure contractor.

Pat's recent success for clients includes:

Civil contractors

  • Major civil contractor — advising a key JV contractor on a complex array of issues (including delays and scope disputes) around the delivery of a Sydney Metro stations package, resolving disputes in excess of $100M.
  • Tier 2 national civil contractor — sole in-house legal advisor to the board on all contractual aspects of $450M+ worth of civil projects across NSW and QLD, including dispute resolution across those projects.
  • Successfully defended charges against a national civil subcontractor under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (NSW), with no conviction or monetary penalty enforced.
  • Successfully defended a string of 3 adjudications brought by a single subcontractor for ~$5M, with approximately 15% of the claimed amount determined as payable.

Residential builders

  • Negotiated the building contract and numerous subcontracts for a single dwelling with a construction value of ~$60M.
  • Successfully recovered 100% of the claimed amount for a remedial contractor on a strata building via adjudication.

Consultants

  • Prepared and negotiated bespoke subcontracts and consultancy agreements for complex medical facility design scopes and mechanical design for luxury commercial projects.

Commercial contractors

  • Tier 2 electrical subcontractor — successfully recovered $600k in variations from a builder in the Inner West of Sydney.
  • Successfully resolved a significant dispute for a mechanical subcontractor, including around allegations of specialist works licensing issues, misleading or deceptive conduct and defective works.

Developers

  • Negotiated standard form and bespoke contracts, and financier deeds, for residential and commercial developers on projects ranging from $4M to $15M.

Asset owners

  • Prepared contracts for the enabling works, demolition and remediation of a former NSW power generation site, including a detailed ECI process.
  • Prepared and negotiated contracts for office fitouts with values ranging from $5M–$20M (including in-depth ECI stages).
  • Negotiated bespoke consultancy agreements with numerous engineering and design disciplines on a ~$450M life science hub project.

Owners corporations and homeowners

  • Negotiated contracts for a number of luxury residential builds in the northern and eastern suburbs of Sydney (with values ranging from $5M–$12M).
  • Advised owners corporations through the tendering and award phases of major remedial works.
PI
Pat Ireland
Founder and Managing Director, Plumb Law

Get in touch

Let's talk about your project

Email
enquiries@plumblaw.com.au
Phone
(02) 9598 8172
Postal address
PO Box 455, Waverley NSW 2024
LinkedIn
Plumb Law

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