Tom has extensive international experience in commercial litigation, focussing on construction disputes. He advises government agencies, contractors, and consultancies on variation and delay disputes arising from major public and private projects. He also has particular experience in disputes avoidance for ongoing projects.
Tom has worked with a range of clients across the offshore wind, hospital, and motorway sectors, and on high value commercial projects.
Tom qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 2015 and received his LLM from LSE in 2022.
Tom was a winner of the New Zealand Society of Construction Law 2019 Essay Competition, his work on buildability was published by the International Bar Association’s Construction Law International in 2020, and in 2021 he presented to the 9th International Society of Construction Law Conference on buildability risk mitigation. In 2022 he won the LSE Atkin Chambers Construction Law Moot.
Experience
Variations & Extensions of Time – successfully defending against USD 30 million of contractor claims on major horizontal infrastructure project.
Variations & Extensions of Time – successfully defending against USD 50 million of contractor claims across three critical infrastructure projects.
Product Liability – successfully defending cladding manufacturer against USD 5 million + negligent design claim.
Consultant’s Liability – successfully defending leading engineering consultancy against USD 15 million negligence claim in New Zealand courts
Claims Management – advising on and resolving 80+ claims by properties neighbouring major development.
Procurement – successfully defending tier-1 contractor in the New Zealand High Court against a set of claims by unsuccessful subcontractors seeking ~USD 15 million in damages for alleged procurement of breach of contract.
