Dr. Harald Michaelis de Vasconcellos

Areas of Activity & Experience

Fields of Activity:

• Industrial plant set-ups and legal management of major investment projects
• Construction law and engineering contracts
• International business law
• Project and claims management
• Arbitration and other proceedings, also, in particular, as arbitrator/chairman

Key Areas:

• Comprehensive legal management of projects, particularly in the areas of industrial plant set-up, civil engineering and with major investment projects
• Drafting and negotiating of contracts, tendering assistance, with EPC-, EPCM-, LSTK-, GMP- and other contracts – tailor made for each particular project
• Contract review and negotiating assistance with tenders on the basis of international standard conditions (FIDIC, Orgalime, ECE, ENAA, JCT, IChemE, etc.)
• Claims management for principal or contractor – how to keep the project from getting out of hand
• Conflict resolution and domestic as well as international arbitrations (e.g. DIS, ICC, SIAC, UNCITRAL, ad hoc) and other proceedings

Other Activities:

• Lectures and seminars on the main topics of industrial plant set-up and investment projects
• Member of DIS (German Institution of Arbitration) and DAV (German Bar Association) as well as the working group International Construction Law of Arge BauR
• Publications on the topic of industrial plant set-up

Education and Experience:

• 1979–1983: Study of law in Marburg, Geneva and Münster
• 1984–1987: Assistant at the Institute for International Business Law in Münster (Prof. Dr. Sandrock)
• 1987: Doctorate degree, Münster University
• 1988: Optional training at a corporate law firm in Paris
• 1989: Admitted to the German bar at Frankfurt am Main
• 1989–1991: Attorney with Pünder Volhard Weber & Axster in Frankfurt am Main
• 1991–1994: Legal counsel with Lurgi AG, Frankfurt
• 1994–1997: Own law practice in the field of project management for major industrial plant construction projects
• Since 1997: Founding partner at mpk

Publications on the Topic of Plant Engineering and Construction Law:

• „Garantieklauseln und Risikoverteilung im internationalen Anlagenvertrag“, Heidelberg 1988
• „Das besondere Vertragsrecht des Anlagenbaus: Auf dem Weg zu einer internationalen Rechtsvereinheitlichung?“, RIW 1997, p. 455-464
• „Muss der Anlagenbauer alles wissen? Die Aufklärungs- und Selbstunterrichtungspflichten des Generalunternehmers bei der schlüsselfertigen Errichtung einer Industrieanlage“, NZBau 2000,
  p. 361-366
• „Garantien in der Praxis des Anlagenvertrags und das neue Schuldrecht: Ein unauflöslicher oder nur ein scheinbarer Konflikt?“, NZBau 2003,
  p. 121-126
• „Photovoltaik und nachhaltige Ertragsgarantien“ and „Schiedsklauseln und andere Vereinbarungen zur Gerichtsbarkeit in gestuften Verträgen“, both in: „Energie- und Umwelttechnologien für Zukunftsmärkte“, Heidelberger Kolloquium Technologie und Recht 2007 (publ. by Fritz Nicklisch) Munich 2008, p. 61-72 and 115-124
• „Einkauf von Investitionsgütern – Sollten Abnahme und Selbstvornahme geregelt sein?“, in: BMEnet Beschaffungsdienstleister Guide 2008