Biography
Michael Roberts is experienced in a wide variety of commercial litigation matters, with particular emphasis on construction and insurance matters. Michael’s construction law practice encompasses contract negotiations, insurance coverage issues, and prosecuting and defending contractual and extra-contractual claims in the construction industry, including construction defect, delay, and mechanic’s lien claims.
Michael’s construction litigation and transactional matters primarily focus on representing owners in all aspects of construction, from contraction negotiation through trial or arbitration. Recently, Michael negotiated construction contracts exceeding $25,000,000 and associated design contracts for two exciting new developments in Austin, Texas. In addition to representing owners, Michael has also represented general contractors, subcontractors, engineers, and architects. This gives him the ability to approach and analyze construction law issues from many different angles.
Michael’s transactional experience makes him an effective trial lawyer and advocate. He is comfortable in either arbitration or a courtroom. In the courtroom, Michael recently gained unique trial experience, trying a week-long in-person jury trial in January 2022 that ended in a $6.5 million settlement for his clients against an international company.
Education
B.A., summa cum laude, Abilene Christian University
J.D., cum laude, Baylor Law School
- Anthony Bruster Intellectual Property and Advocacy Award
- Member, Order of Barristers
- Participant, Inter-school Mock Trial Teams
Bar Admissions
Texas, 2012
Court Admissions
United States District Court for the Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas
Michael’s representative matters include:
- Negotiating commercial design and construction contracts involving multi-family, industrial, commercial, and high-end residential projects.
- Advising buyer negotiating 8-figure acquisition on construction law issues during negotiation of purchase and sale agreement.
- Obtaining pre-suit reversal of insurer’s initial coverage denial with insurer assuming its obligations to defend and indemnify client under the third-party policy.
- Defeating summary judgment seeking complete dismissal of client’s multi-million dollar fraud claim.
- Defeating all claims brought against a subcontractor and the subcontractor’s principal, including claims for breach of contract, fraud, Texas Trust Fund violations, and attorney’s fees.
- Successfully obtaining injunctive relief on behalf of clients to enforce covenants not to compete, non-solicitation agreements, and non-disclosure agreements.
- Filing suit against an owner on behalf of a general contractor and obtaining all amounts owed from the owner, including Texas Prompt Pay Interest and all attorney’s fees incurred.
- Assisting both insurers and policyholders in the analysis, prosecution and defense of declaratory judgment actions and claims for breach of contract, prompt pay interest, and bad faith.
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Woodward/White Inc.)
- Commercial Litigation, 2021-2022
- Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, 2022
- Texas Rising Star – Construction Litigation, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2018-2022
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, 2020
- Rising Star, S.A. Scene magazine, 2014
- Best Lawyers in Civil Litigation Defense, S.A. Scene magazine, 2013
- Austin Bar Association/Austin Young Lawyers Association Leadership Academy
- Co-Chair, 2019-2020
- Committee Member, 2018
- Participant, 2017
- Austin Bar Association, Member
- Austin Young Lawyers Association, Member
- State Bar of Texas, Member
- Construction Law Section
- Insurance Section
- Litigation Section
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow