Verity is a specialised construction and infrastructure lawyer with wide-ranging experience across the sector. She is passionate about delivering legal solutions that align with the commercial drivers of her client's business, and will work closely with your team to achieve this. Verity advises a wide range of clients, including tier-one contractors, developers, builders and subcontractors.
Verity previously worked as legal counsel at Acciona Construction, where she supported multiple projects. Her work has included supporting projects during contract negotiation, preparing project downstream procurement templates, acting as project lawyer, business-wide procurement processes, and precedent improvement. As a project lawyer, Verity has worked across the full spectrum of project delivery, from downstream procurement and negotiation to upstream delivery and claim management. As lead for the roll-out of an updated procurement procedure, Verity ensured the uptake of new ways of working across multiple business units, acting as key business liaison throughout the process.
Experience
Verity’s areas of expertise include:
- project delivery: project administration, procurement (downstream contract suite preparation and negotiation) and upstream claim management
- contract review and drafting: reviewing and advising on upstream tender documents; drafting procurement contract suite, including pass-through provisions
- legal operations:
- change management
- implementation of new ways of working
- governance
- stakeholder management.
Career highlights
Verity's career highlights include:
- Procurement Precedent Improvement Project for a tier-one contractor: project managing the finalisation and roll-out of a new set of procurement precedents and process for business-wide use. Key business liaison rolling out the new model, including preparing a white paper for executive briefing and delivering briefings to the business. Preparation of new pass down approach and delivering guidance to legal team on same.
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Sydney Metro West - Central Tunnelling Package ($2B): project counsel for the JV delivering the Central Tunnelling Package:
- Advising on upstream claim, including application of the upstream agreement, preparing / reviewing claim notices, briefing and liaising with external legal and relevant experts and managing project leadership expectation regarding the outcome
- managing legal aspects of downstream procurement, including negotiation and preparing departures
- managing day-to-day project administration and establishing processes
- preparing and implementing project-wide approved departures for commonly requested amendments.
- downstream pass down: reviewing an upstream head contract on a multi-million dollar road project, for the obligations, liabilities and risk which must be passed down to subcontractors. Preparing the relevant downstream subcontract suite in coordination with the commercial lead and external legal, including passing through the necessary provisions as identified.
- contract administration and project delivery training: preparing and delivering best-practice contract administration and project delivery training to a nation-wide construction and infrastructure contractor
- advising an airport contractor: advising on interpretation of obligations arising from upstream contract and specifications as they relate to additional work scope and defects
- advising a major rail engineering contractor: acting for the client in a mediation with the principal for a multi-million dollar claim and advising the client on proper contract administration and project delivery. Preparing contractual notices, preparing a mediation position paper, and assisting with the overall management and running of the mediation. Settlement was reached between the parties with an outcome favourable to the client.
- acting for NSW Treasury Office of General Counsel: seconded to the NSW Treasury Office of the General Counsel to advise internal Treasury clients on a variety of public finance law, financial management, governance, banking and procurement matters.