Ben Meredith

Ben Meredith has provided advice to some of Cairn’s largest Civil and Commercial Construction Firms and businesses in all aspects of civil and commercial construction, and conflict resolution.

Ben’s experience is extensive, and includes advising on significant and complex commercial and civil projects, preparation of tenders and tender documents for Government Owned Corporations and Councils, preparing bespoke construction agreements, modifications and review of existing commercial contracts, including Australian Standards, preparing template construction agreements and agreements between builders and developers.

Besides his experience in complex commercial and civil projects, Ben’s wide range of experience also includes:

1. Significant and complex disputes before state Supreme and District Courts, including appearing as advocate in trial and in contested applications;
2. Complex adjudications, including adjudications with significant expert evidence required;
3. Regulatory matters, including compliance with QBCC directions, Minimum Financial Requirements, and licence disputes;
4. Enforcement of securities, including disputed directors guarantees, registered securities on the Personal Property Securities Register, equitable liens and mortgages, and other securities arising in law or in equity;
5. Commercial disputes, including shareholder, sale agreement, franchise agreements and development agreement disputes;
6. Commercial property disputes, including disputes under leases, licences, purchases and sales agreements;
7. Workplace and Employee investigations, complex advice to employers on liability to contractors and employees under awards, award classification, employee classification and for statutory superannuation, and acting and representing employers before the Fair Work Commission, the Federal Court, and other tribunals.
8. Advising on competition and consumer law, including cartel conduct and exclusive dealing and third line forcing, as well as obligations of manufacturers and suppliers under the Australian Consumer Law;
9. Complex advice to trustees on their obligations to beneficiaries, including complex discretionary trusts; 
10. Advising and acting in respect to insurance obligations, agreements involving significant insurable risk, including third party liability, construction incidents, and commercial vehicles matters, including incidents involving trucks and road trains, and commercial trains.

Ben’s legal and practical experience focusing on client outcomes and goals, combined with his ability to break down complex legal and factual problems to discrete issues and generate commercial outcomes for his clients, rates him highly amongst his established clients and colleagues.

Outside of work, Ben enjoys bike riding including riding in events such as the Cardiac Challenge and the Cairns Ironman (and hates hills), time with his family and two dogs, and appreciating craft beer (Ben says it sounds better if we say it like that). Ben is also a Director of Trinity Anglican School, and has a passion for education.

Qualifications and memberships

–Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland, 2014
–Admitted Solicitor of the High Court of Australia, 2015
–Bachelor of Laws (Hons), University of Southern Queensland, 2014
–Graduate Diploma Legal Practice – College of Law, 2014
–Director – Trinity Anglican School
–Queensland Law Society, Member
–Far North Queensland Law Association, Member
–Cazalys Cairns Membership Judiciary