About us

We are a Western Australian ‘boutique’ construction law and commercial litigation firm; Forged (like a Masamune sword) from over 30 years of experience helping domestic and international corporations resolve their most challenging construction related claims, issues, and disputes throughout WA, and in the NT and SE Asia. The stakes have been as high as $2b, most in the $1m to $100m range, and, for a few, the most tragic of circumstances involving a fatality or other crisis event with reputations of corporates and senior officers for prioritising safety and responding swiftly and responsibly to a crisis in line with community expectations hanging in the balance.

Respect

for and earning it from others

Excellence

Integrity

Determination

Courage

Creativity

Why us?

  • Independent, agile, and committed to a strong set of values.
  • A reputation and work environment to attract, encourage and support great talent to perform at their best.
  • Rare and relevant ‘intelligence’ - Deep understanding of the unique economic, geographical, and political environments in which projects are undertaken in WA, and many of the people who are or might become significantly involved in a matter.
  • More flexibility around who we act for and how matters are handled.
  • Latest technology and able to keep up to date, and ahead of the pack, with developments for improving performance.
  • Less likely to have a ‘conflict’ and, if another party engages us first or there would otherwise be a conflict, you will know about it quickly.
  • Not seeking to be on anyone’s panel.

Who we are

McComish Legal was founded and formed through 2020/21 by Stephen McComish. This was during a period of dramatic change in geopolitics, and in the way the world trades, operates and communicates because of the pandemic. Assistance was obtained from external experts, suppliers and contractors, to reimagine and create, rather than adapt, a firm most suited to ‘the new way’ of working.
In the final stages of the process (like in the mountings, assembly and polishing stages of our analogous sword), Rachel Taweel (Lawyer) and Eu-Min Teng (Special Counsel), have been invaluable in establishing the firm to be highly responsive to meeting the needs and expectations of its clients.

PHOTOS

A little more background

For over 20 years Stephen has been in the leadership of construction law practices in Western Australia, Australia and South-East Asia. Each of these has been widely recognised as leading, preeminent or first tier in the WA market, with Stephen having been listed for many years as a leading or preeminent lawyer in several publications, including Doyles Guide, the AFR’s Best Lawyers in Australia and Who’s WhoLegal, as a construction disputes specialist and arbitration lawyer.

“ Stephen McComish has an unrivalled knowledge of the market and deep experience in construction disputes. He is consistently able to think three moves ahead of his opposition and has an ability to reliably predict the course that disputes will take and the likely outcomes. A calm and steady voice under pressure.”

A comment from a client’s representative quoted in Legal500 2020

In 2013 global law firm, Jones Day, sought out Stephen to be its first partner in Perth (its 41st office) and to lead the new office. Starting in April 2014, by 2015 the team was recognised in Doyles Guide as a preeminent construction disputes practice in WA.  
In 2015/16 Stephen also had direct engagement on a construction project for the firm in leading a team in designing and fitting out the firm’s then new and state of the art offices occupying the top floor of the Central Park Building, which was a multimillion-dollar project.
Having reimagined how to provide specialist legal services more efficiently and effectively, including from a cost perspective to corporates undertaking major construction projects in the then current market in the region, Stephen was keen to have a few months off at the beginning of 2020 to spend time at home and a few places overseas snowboarding and surfing before starting the real hard work of setting things up.

 

With plans being scuppered by the pandemic, the circumstances required a complete rethink about the clients’ needs and expectations, particularly regarding communications and flexibility, and the evolving developments in dealing with courts and tribunals, and how the team would need to work flexibly, with an office becoming more of a hub and the workplace needing to be wherever the work can be carried out more efficiently (eg, at home offices, client’s offices, on the road, or wherever our team might need to be).
McComish Legal is one of the first firms established to handle ‘the new way’ of providing legal services to the construction industry, ‘shaking off’ all outdated parts of the legal business of old.  It is the culmination of years of experience, working on the most complex and cutting-edge construction related claims, issues and disputes in WA and the SE Asia region.

And we trust you will also find:
We are a calm and steady voice under pressure.