Career & Credentials
Experience
Christopher Larcos brings more than 40 years of experience in the construction industry, including nearly 25 years in legal practice.
His career spans architectural practice, construction law, and advisory roles across a range of projects and procurement models.
Legal Practice
Admitted to practice in 2002 after completing a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours (LLB, Hons I), Christopher has focused his legal work on construction law and commercial contracting, including:
- Drafting and advising on construction contracts, including ABIC, HIA, Master Builders and bespoke agreements
- Advising on tendering processes and procurement strategies
- Contract negotiation and risk allocation
- Dispute resolution, including matters arising under security of payment legislation
His approach to legal practice is informed by a detailed understanding of how construction projects are delivered in practice.
Architectural Practice
Prior to entering the legal profession, Christopher practised as an architect for more than 30 years. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) and has been a registered architect since 1987, gaining extensive experience in:
- Contract administration
- Procurement and tendering
- Coordination of consultants and contractors
- Management of project risk and delivery
This experience continues to inform his work in construction law.
Professional Contributions
Christopher has contributed to both the legal and architectural professions through a range of roles, including:
- NSW Editor (2010 to 2016) and Queensland Editor (2014 to 2016) of the Building and Construction Law Journal
- Presenter in the Practice of Architecture Lecture Series (PALS), 2004 to 2020, including teaching on contract administration
- Member of the Practice Committee of the Australian Institute of Architects since 2002
- Member of the Senior Counsellor Service of the Australian Institute of Architects since 2004
These roles reflect his ongoing engagement with professional standards and industry development.
Adjudication
Christopher has been a registered adjudicator under security of payment legislation since 2014, in:
He is also a registered review adjudicator in Western Australia and has determined more than 180 adjudications, providing direct and ongoing insight into the operation of statutory payment regimes.
His WA registration is listed on the WA Building and Energy public register. More information about adjudicator appointments can be found at Adjudicate Today.
Current Focus
Christopher’s current work spans construction law, centred on construction contracts and front-end project structuring, advising principals, builders, architects and consultants as a construction contract specialist and lawyer on ABIC agreements and on the Australian Standard suite, including AS 4000, AS 2124, AS 4300 and AS 4902. His work also spans the other main industry forms, from HIA and Master Builders contracts to bespoke agreements, and he has written a plain-English guide on choosing the right building contract.
He also advises architects on their own Client Architect Agreements, draws on his experience as a registered security of payment adjudicator, and is the author of a growing suite of Special Conditions for ABIC contracts, addressing payment structures and residential compliance across Australian jurisdictions.
Alongside acting for clients, Christopher provides specialist advice and expert opinion to other legal practitioners and their clients on construction and contract matters, including matters in dispute. This draws on the same grounding in how projects are procured, built and administered that informs his contract work, and on his experience across the specialities above.
Adjudication track record
180+
adjudications determined
5
jurisdictions registered (NSW, VIC, SA, WA, ACT)
WA
registered review adjudicator
The matters Christopher adjudicates include substantial, closely-examined disputes. Determinations he has made have been the subject of judicial-review proceedings in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the New South Wales Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory, across matters ranging from residential subcontracts to commercial claims worth into the millions.
Statutory adjudication is a rapid, interim process: it keeps cash moving on a “pay now, argue later” basis while the parties’ final rights are preserved, and a court considers a determination only for jurisdictional error rather than re-hearing the merits.
Claire Rewais & Osama Rewais t/as McVitty Grove v BPB Earthmoving Pty Ltd [2025] NSWCA 103
New South Wales Court of Appeal - security of payment
TP Dynamics (ACT) Pty Ltd v G&H Plant Hire Pty Ltd [2026] ACTSC 15
ACT Supreme Court - commercial payment dispute ($917,746.63 determination)
Eastland Truss & Timber Pty Ltd v Matthew John Byrnes t/as Qualibuilt Constructions [2014] NSWSC 1461
NSW Supreme Court - subcontract payment dispute
Adjudicators take no active part in judicial review of their determinations and typically file a submitting appearance. Case citations are provided for verification via the relevant court’s public records.