Mills Oakley Lawyers

Brett Wilson
Partner
T: 61 2 8289 5829
F: 61 2 9247 1315
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Brett specialises in drafting building and construction contracts, providing contract management advice and resolving construction disputes. He acts for various participants involved in the construction industry including developers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants, government agencies and local councils. One of Brett’s specialities is drafting plain English, commercially focused building contracts and related project documentation such as user manuals, financier’s side deeds and consultancy agreements.

Recent projects

Recent projects have included the drafting and negotiating of building contracts and related documentation for residential, mixed use and commercial office developments for various listed and other property developers in the Sydney CBD, inner Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. He has also drafted fit-out contracts for a Top 4 accounting firm and a leading financial services company as well as acted for a charity organisation in relation to the construction of a homeless shelter in Sydney City. He has also assisted in relation to a large scale urban renewal project in inner Sydney as well as acted for a contractor in connection with a major pipeline infrastructure project in New Zealand. He is experienced in all forms of dispute resolution.

Significant Projects

Some of his significant projects include acting in relation to litigation and arbitration proceedings arising from the construction of the Southern (Airport Link) Railway in Sydney, the demolition of the Newcastle steel works, the development of the proposed Melbourne to Darwin inland rail project, the construction of the the Eastern Gas Pipeline project, the construction of power stations in the Hunter Valley and at Smithfield, the defective construction of a printing facility in Melbourne, the construction of a marina development in the Whitsundays and the development of Chifley Square in Sydney. Brett has acted on various contractual, tortious and Trade Practices Act claims and disputes including claims for variations, extensions of time, delay and prolongation costs, damages for late completion, set-offs, latent conditions, rectification and consequential losses in relation to defectively designed or constructed works. One of Brett’s specialities involves security of payment legislation in its multiple jurisdictions and he is regularly involved in and challenges to Security of Payment Adjudication Determinations and cases arising therefrom. He also regularly advises clients regarding the Home Building Act, insurance, professional negligence and tendering and probity issues. One of Brett’s client’s recently succeeded in a leading case in relation to the interpretation of home warranty insurance policies.

Experience

Brett has acted for clients ranging from government instrumentalities and councils to publicly listed companies to small companies and individuals. Clients comment upon Brett’s focus on providing timely and practical ‘early intervention’ advice and helping to effectively manage and optimize their legal and commercial outcomes. Some of Brett’s recent projects include negotiating, drafting and advising on contract documentation for various developers and contractors, acting in major Supreme Court and arbitration proceedings and extensive dealings with Security of Payment adjudication processes and Court proceedings. Brett is an Associate of the Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators Australia and holds a Masters in Construction Law degree. He is also a member of the Building Dispute Practitioners Society and an accredited specialist in commercial litigation.