About Michelle 

Michelle is a construction lawyer with qualifications in building and law and holds a QBCC Licence for Builder – Project Management Services.

Michelle worked as a client-side project manager before joining the builder’s side as a contract administrator in 2012. After graduating law school in 2016, Michelle registered as an Adjudicator and worked as a Solicitor for a QLD law firm.

In 2024, Michelle founded her own law firm, Subcontractor Legal, which provides bespoke front-end legal services exclusively to subcontractors.

Having worked as a site-based CA for Tier 2 builders, Michelle intimately understands the operational leverage subcontractors can use to negotiate commercial deals — rather than spending thousands on legal fees.

“After becoming a lawyer, I was heart broken seeing Subbies spending so much on legal fees in disputes they could have avoided if they had their contract admin in order.

I spoke with other lawyers, who told me subbies wouldn't pay for front end services that they said was "admin grade work".

But I'd worked with Subbies for a decade, and many run incredible sophisticated businesses - turning over more than many builders do. 

So I ignored those lawyers, and in 2020 I built the Subbies’ Toolbox, combining every bit of know-how into a membership based resource where I help subcontractors manage their builder’s contract and get paid on time.”

— Michelle Cirson