Tom Richards

Full Profile

Tom is a seasoned commercial litigator with a focus on construction disputes. He has advised government agencies, main and sub-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 on projects involving offshore wind, hospital, motorway, industrial and commercial developments.

He 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

• Acted for an international main contractor joint venture in arbitration proceedings under the auspices of the International Court of Arbitration, involving multiple claims and counterclaims, worth at least c. US $150 million, relating to the construction of the Riyadh Metro.
• Acted for a leading real estate developer in the UAE based in Dubai in arbitration proceedings under the auspices of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre on claims of c. US $30 million relating to the construction of a resort development in Pakistan.
•  Acting for a large mining company based in KSA:
  • in dispute adjudication board proceedings involving Contractor claims for the release of c. US $60 million of performance bonds and counterclaims for defects rectification of c. US $106 million; and
  • in ICC arbitration proceedings involving multiple claims and counterclaims, with the largest valued at c. US $263 million, relating to the construction of a Sulphuric Acid and Power Plant.
• Acted for an international main contractor joint venture in arbitration proceedings under the auspices of the International Court of Arbitration, involving Extension of Time claims of c. US $12 million, relating to the construction of the Riyadh Metro Line 3 stations.
• Acting for the New Zealand Transport Authority (Waka Kotahi) concerning multiple major motorway improvement projects, including:
  • In Adjudication and Mediation processes for Contractor variation claims of c. US $30 million; and
  • As project counsel advising on a threatened class action by 80+ adjacent properties.
• Acting for the New Zealand Ministry of Health as project counsel and in Adjudication, Mediation, and Arbitration processes concerning Contractor Variation and EOT claims of c. US$ 50 million across three hospital development projects.
• Acting for a world-leading international cladding manufacturer defending class action negligent design claims of c. US $600 million.
• Acting for the largest Contractor in New Zealand before the New Zealand High Court defending against contractual and equitable claims of c. US $15 million by unsuccessful subcontractors Acted for a leading engineering consultancy in NZ Courts against negligence claim of c. US $15 million.
• Acting for a major forestry operator on a rent assessment dispute before the New Zealand Land Valuation Tribunal.