Michael Blackburne

Michael specialises in domestic and international litigation and arbitration in the construction, engineering and infrastructure, energy and natural resources, transport and professional negligence sectors. Throughout his career he has handled many high profile, high value, complex and difficult matters representing a huge variety of suppliers, manufacturers, contractors, employers, their professional advisers and insurers.

He was one of the supporting authors of the SCL's "Protocol on Delay Disruption” and he regularly acts as an adjudicator or mediator.

Relevant experience includes:

• Advising on construction engineering and infrastructure cases across both domestic and international jurisdictions.
• Successfully representing a large number of employers, governmental and quasi-governmental organisations, developers, national and international contractors, sub-contractors, consultants and their insurers concerning numerous types of building and civil engineering projects.
• Various shipbuilding disputes including acting for Cunard on the re-engineering of the QE2.
• Being the Lead Partner on a major dispute relating to a motorway in Portugal.
• Acting for contractors on major delay and disruption claims relating to delayed LNG tanks.
• Advising developers in connection with a contractor’s claim for loss and/or expense and extensions of time arising out of the contract for £200m residential scheme in London.
• Advising on numerous disputes between contractors and sub-contractors on commercial buildings; including £10m defects and EOT claims and various disputes acting for Central and Local Government.
• Acting for all parties in disputes relating to car parks and acted on a £40m claim against the designers of a car park.
• Advising on a dispute with a Sub-Contractor about the “iconic” steelwork for a Premier League Football Stadium.
• Advising a mining contractor in connection with volume, productivity, price disputes arising out of tin mining.

Michael has done a significant amount of advisory work for in relation to practical problems arising out of contracts of all kinds including bespoke contracts and the principal standard form engineering and building contracts including, FIDIC, ICE, I Mech E, I Chem. E, JCT, NEC 3, RIBA and ACE and Government forms of contract.

Michael is a popular speaker and writer on relevant subjects, an example of this is being a contributor to the book: "Insurance Law for the Construction Industry" edited by Robert Hogarth.

He has been recognised by the Legal 500 for many years, as a leader in the field of Construction and has been praised for his "incisive advice and common-sense attitude".

He is also recognised as "excellent" on construction related professional indemnity matters.

Manus McMullan QC said that "Michael Blackburne is a very experienced construction lawyer with a proven track record and excellent judgment".