How to Work Effectively with Hollingdales:
Clear Engagement Models for Construction Risk, Legal Advice, Mediation, and Facilitation
This section explains precisely how engagements begin, how retainers and fees are structured, how referrals from professional advisers work, and what to expect when Michael Hollingdale personally leads your matter from first conversation to documented outcome.
Working with Hollingdales means engaging directly with Michael Hollingdale for construction risk oversight, construction law advice, mediation, and facilitation. This section covers how engagements are structured, how fees are determined, how professional adviser referrals work, and what clients and referring professionals can expect throughout every stage of the engagement.
Every matter is led personally by Michael Hollingdale — no delegation, no rotation, no junior staff.
Fees are structured under the Hollingdales Costs Agreement Terms and Conditions 2026, aligned to scope and project complexity.
Hollingdales complements existing advisers — protecting referral relationships and preserving professional standing throughout.
Engagement Models, Retainer Structure, and Referral Processes
How the Commercial Risk Retainer Works
If you are a Commercial Director approaching contract award on a project valued between $40 million and $150 million, this page sets out precisely how the bespoke monthly oversight retainer is structured, what it monitors, and how its cost — typically less than one tenth of one percent of project value — is calibrated to the commercial exposure it contains.
Referrals from Professional Advisers
If you are a litigation lawyer, accountant, financial planner, or succession planning adviser considering whether to refer a client to Hollingdales for mediation or facilitation, this page explains how the referral process is structured to protect your client relationship at every stage and why the collaborative model preserves — rather than displaces — your professional standing.
From Enquiry to Engagement — Without Uncertainty at Every Step
Uncertainty about how an engagement begins, who handles a matter, and what fees will look like often delays the decisions that protect the most significant commercial and relational interests. For Commercial Directors monitoring a construction project approaching contract award, for litigation lawyers weighing whether to refer a wills and estates dispute, and for family business founders whose succession conversation has already been deferred once, that delay carries a measurable cost. Clarifying the procedural structure upfront removes the friction between interest and action.
Hollingdales has designed every engagement pathway — the commercial risk retainer, construction law counsel, mediation, and facilitation — with a defined scope proposal, transparent fee structure, and clear role boundaries from the outset. This is not a practice that asks clients to begin before the terms are understood. Every engagement is proposed in writing under the Hollingdales Costs Agreement Terms and Conditions 2026, and every matter is led personally by Michael Hollingdale from initial conversation through to documented outcome.
- Engagement proposals are scoped and presented in writing before any retainer is formalised.
- The commercial risk retainer is calibrated to contract sum and complexity — typically costing less than one tenth of one percent of project value.
- Referral professionals are protected by a defined collaborative process — their standing with the client remains intact throughout.
- Every mediation and facilitation engagement closes with a properly documented outcome — not a verbal understanding requiring further negotiation.
- Fee models across all service lines avoid open-ended hourly billing, supporting internal budgeting and board approval processes.
Direct Access to Michael Hollingdale — No Delegation, No Rotation
Every engagement at Hollingdales is led personally by Michael Hollingdale. There is no delegation to junior staff and no rotation among a team. This continuity guarantees that clients benefit from more than four decades of direct experience in Western Australia's construction and infrastructure sector, combined with nationally accredited mediation and facilitation practice spanning more than 30 years.
Michael Hollingdale was admitted to practice in New South Wales and the High Court of Australia in 1982 and in Western Australia in 1985. He completed advanced mediator training through LEADR — now the Resolution Institute — in 1995, and has held national accreditation under AMDRAS since its inception.
Best Lawyers Australia 2026
Construction Infrastructure Law — eighteenth successive year, including Lawyer of the Year 2017
Doyles Guide 2026
Leading Front End Construction and Infrastructure Lawyer — thirteenth successive year; Leading Mediator Perth, Western Australia 2025 – seventh successive year
Lexology Index 2026
Australia and New Zealand Construction — formerly Who's Who Legal
AMDRAS Accreditation
National accreditation under AMDRAS since inception; panel memberships with the Resolution Institute, Law Society of WA, Commercial Disputes Centre, Collaborative Professionals WA, Family Inheritance Solutions, and SBDC WA
Advanced Collaborative Practice
Wills and estates-specific training through Collaborative Professionals WA Inc and Family Inheritance Solutions
Independent Chair
Wines of Western Australia — demonstrating the capacity to hold complex multi-stakeholder processes under sustained pressure
A Defined Pathway from First Contact to Formalised Engagement
Initial Enquiry and Personal Response
Upon first contact, Michael Hollingdale responds personally to understand the specific context of your matter — the nature of the engagement, the relevant parties, and the current status — before any next step is proposed.
Tailored Engagement Proposal
Hollingdales provides a clear written engagement proposal tailored to your situation, detailing scope, preliminary timelines, and fee structure under the Hollingdales Costs Agreement Terms and Conditions 2026 — enabling informed internal discussion before formalising any retainer.
Senior-Level Continuity Throughout
From the moment the engagement is confirmed, Michael Hollingdale leads every aspect personally — whether administering a commercial risk retainer, advising on a construction contract, mediating a dispute, or chairing a family facilitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the commercial risk retainer work for a construction project owner in Perth and what does it cost relative to project value?
The Hollingdales commercial risk retainer operates as a bespoke monthly engagement tailored to the contract sum, project complexity, and anticipated meeting duration. It provides continuous contract administration oversight from contract award through to Practical Completion, typically on projects valued between $40 million and $150 million. The retainer generally costs less than one tenth of one percent of project value, offering real-time surveillance of variation creep, delay entitlement drift, Security of Payment exposure, and certification integrity. This model allows Commercial Directors to detect and contain commercial exposure early, avoiding costly claims or disputes.
How does a litigation lawyer in Western Australia refer a wills and estates dispute to a mediator without risking their client relationship?
Hollingdales operates as a collaborative process partner within the existing client relationship to ensure that litigation lawyers, accountants, and financial planners can confidently refer wills and estates disputes without jeopardising their standing. Referrals are initiated via a dedicated referral enquiry pathway. Michael Hollingdale personally leads every mediation, combining over 30 years of mediation experience with advanced collaborative practice training specific to wills and estates through Collaborative Professionals WA Inc and Family Inheritance Solutions. This approach ensures the process moves disputes forward while preserving professional relationships and producing documented outcomes.
Who personally handles matters at Hollingdales and is there a risk of being delegated to junior staff?
All matters at Hollingdales are led directly by Michael Hollingdale, with no delegation or rotation to junior practitioners. Michael has held national accreditation under AMDRAS since its inception and is recognised in Best Lawyers Australia for Construction Infrastructure Law for eighteen successive years. His continuous leadership across construction law, commercial risk oversight, mediation, and facilitation guarantees clients receive consistent, senior-level attention informed by extensive experience across Western Australia's construction, infrastructure, and dispute resolution sectors.
How does a succession planning accountant or financial planner introduce a family business facilitation engagement to Hollingdales without it appearing to displace their own advisory role?
Succession planning facilitation by Hollingdales is designed to complement and support existing legal and accounting advisory structures. The family conference is convened and chaired by Michael Hollingdale after the legal and financial documentation is prepared by the referring adviser. This neutral facilitation closes the gap between documented intentions and genuine family agreement, managing emotional dynamics and ensuring the agreed outcomes are properly documented. The process protects the referring professional's client relationship by clearly delineating roles and maintaining collaborative engagement.
What happens after an SME business owner or their commercial lawyer makes an initial enquiry to Hollingdales about mediating a business dispute?
Upon enquiry, Michael Hollingdale responds personally to understand the dispute's context, parties involved, and stage of proceedings. With over 30 years of mediation experience and consistently recognised as a Leading Mediator in Perth by Doyles Guide, he assesses how to structure mediation tailored to the commercial realities of SME disputes. The initial conversation focuses on clarifying objectives before proposing a mediation process. This approach ensures that mediation is commercially grounded, efficient, and focused on achieving a durable, documented settlement.
Contain risk before it crystallises — the first conversation is where it starts
Whether you are a Commercial Director approaching contract award, a professional adviser considering a referral, or a family business founder whose succession conversation can no longer be deferred, Michael Hollingdale responds personally to every initial enquiry.