Building and construction law, for the people actually on the job.
Contracts, payment claims, variations, defects, and the disputes that follow when they go wrong — for home owners, builders and developers across NSW. Plain advice, given early, when it still changes the outcome.
Michael Phontos
Principal · Construction Lawyer
I've practised building and construction law in New South Wales for more than 35 years as principal of my own firm — for developers, builders and trades, in contract drafting and administration, and in complex arbitration and litigation through the courts and tribunals. I've also run building companies. Thirty-five years ago, with five residential sites under construction, I tried to wire them back to the office so I could see what was actually happening. Neither the hardware nor the software was up to it. The idea was sound. Only the tools were missing.
The first conversation is free, and it's with me, not an intake form.
Who we act for
Home owners
Let's get your home finishedThe contract before you sign it. The variation before you pay it. The builder who has slowed, stopped, or left — and the path that gets the build finished, which is rarely the path that starts with a writ.
Builders
Cashflow is your lifebloodProgress claims that hold up, security of payment run properly and on time, variations that survive scrutiny, and contracts that don't give away the margin before the job starts. Paperwork done at the time beats lawyers after it.
Developers
Lockup or lockoutHead contracts and consultant agreements that allocate risk on purpose, administration through the build, and a firm hand when completion, defects or delay turn commercial. The exit is designed at the entry.
How an engagement starts
The first meeting is free. Email your available times and we'll speak by phone or video. We spend it learning your project and telling you honestly whether you need a lawyer at all — often the answer is a letter, not a lawsuit.
Email enquiries@phontos.com.au