Matthew Bell joined the Melbourne Law School as an academic after several years in practice as a solicitor, primarily as a non-contentious construction lawyer. Matthew is Co-Director of Studies for the Law School's Construction Law Program. He teaches construction law subjects in the LLB program, the Melbourne School of Design's graduate programs and in the Melbourne Law Masters. He has also taught the LLB subjects "Contracts" and "Remedies".
Matthew is an editor of Construction Law International, the publication of the International Bar Association's International Construction Projects Committee, and is co-author of the books, Understanding Australian Construction Contracts (2008) and Construction Law in Australia (3rd ed, 2011).
Upon completion of his undergraduate studies at the University of Melbourne, Matthew undertook his articles at Clayton Utz in Melbourne. He settled in the Construction Group and was appointed Senior Associate in 2000. Matthew consolidated his knowledge in the specialist area of construction law through the Masters of Construction Law. He was amongst the first intake for this course when it was offered by the Law School in 2000 and completed his studies towards the Masters at King's College, University of London in 2003-04.
Matthew's primary areas of interest revolve around the drafting and negotiation of contracts for major construction projects. He was able to gain a depth of experience on a wide variety of procurement methods whilst working with clients at Clayton Utz. This was enhanced by two years based in London with the International Construction Group of Clifford Chance. Matthew's experience in London included negotiating and drafting the EPC Contract and associated construction and finance documentation for the Sohar Refinery Project in Oman. This project was named the Middle East Oil and Gas Deal of the Year for 2003 by Project Finance International Magazine. He was also Professional Support Lawyer to the International Construction Group.
In 2009, Matthew was awarded the Building Dispute Practioners' Society Essay Prize. He was also a Finalist in the LexisNexis-Australasian Law Teachers' Association Award for Early Career - Innovative Teaching Award for 2009. Essays written by Matthew were awarded Joint Second Prize (2010) and adjudged Highly Commended (2008) in the Society of Construction Law (UK) Hudson Prize.
In addition to his role at the Law School, Matthew is Professional Support Lawyer to the national Construction and Major Projects Group at Clayton Utz on a part-time basis. He is also Chair of the Academic Subcommittee of the Society of Construction Law Australia.
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