Michael Cronin

Michael Cronin | A Construction and Surety Mediator

Michael Cronin is an attorney-mediator with nineteen years of experience inside the construction and surety industries, mediating construction, construction defect, professional liability and surety claims.

Michael joined SureTec Insurance Company in November 2007 and has remained with the company through its 2017 acquisition by Markel Corporation and its subsequent rebranding as Markel Surety, a national underwriter of construction and surety risks. Over time, he has transitioned from handling surety claims for Markel to mediating disputes for third parties. Michael serves a dual role within the company as Mediator, ADR Services, and as Director, Surety Claims Counsel.

Construction and Surety Claims Background

Across his career as a claims attorney, Michael has been responsible for the avoidance, handling, and resolution of thousands of construction-related disputes. Those matters have spanned pre-litigation, litigation, arbitration, and administrative actions on a wide range of public and private projects, involving the full breadth of issues that arise in construction work: contract claims, delay claims, warranty, professional liability, and construction defects. That deep claims background, accumulated over nearly two decades on the surety side of the table, has given Michael a close-up view of how these cases actually develop, escalate, and ultimately resolve, and it informs the way he approaches mediation today.

Mediation Practice

Michael serves as a mediator primarily for construction disputes (delay, contract, and defect claims) and insurance disputes, including complex, multi-party matters. He obtained his formal mediation training at the University of Texas School of Law’s Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution, and he continues to pursue advanced training and continuing education in construction industry dispute resolution and avoidance through active membership and participation in the Association of Attorney-Mediators, the State Bar of Texas Construction Law Section, the Austin Bar Association Construction Law and ADR Sections, the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, the Surety Claims Institute, the National Bond Claims Association, and the Fidelity & Surety Law Committee of the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association, where he currently serves as Vice Chair by appointment.

Credentials and Recognition

Michael was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in November 2007. He is Board Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, having earned that certification in 2017 as a member of the inaugural class of board-certified construction lawyers in Texas.

"From time to time, I'm asked to recommend other mediators when I'm unavailable, or when a matter may be better suited to a different level of complexity or fee structure. One mediator I am particularly comfortable recommending is Michael T. Cronin, a board-certified construction lawyer and experienced mediator with whom I have worked for nearly two decades.

Michael joined me at Markel in the surety claims department in 2007 and went on to become a valued co-mediator on large, multi-party construction disputes before developing a strong mediation practice of his own. He is Board Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, trained in mediation by the University of Texas Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution, and teaches Construction Industry Dispute Resolution at the University of Texas Graduate School of Engineering."

Michael's Credentials

State Bar of Texas – License #24059627, Nov. 2007
Texas Board Certified, Construction Law, TX Board of Legal Specialization, 2017 (Inaugural Class for Construction)
Trained Mediator, Univ. of Texas School of Law, Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution

State Bar of Texas
- Construction Law Section
American Bar Association
- Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section – Fidelity and Surety Committee (Currently Vice Chair)
- Forum Committee on the Construction Industry
Association of Attorney-Mediators

Mediation Rates

Number of Parties	Mediation Locale
Number of Parties	Daily Rate for Austin	Daily Rate for Other Locations
2 Parties	$3,000 per party	$3,250 per party
3 Parties	$2,500 per party	$2,750 per party
4 Parties	$2,000 per party	$2,500 per party
5 Parties	$1,600 per party	$2,000 per party
6 or more Parties	$1,400 per party	$1,600 per party
Travel Time	Included in Daily Rate.	Included in Daily Rate, unless locale necessitates travel during business hours on days preceding or following mediation.
Travel Expense	Included, unless multi-day or scheduled such that other business cannot be conducted, in which case travel expense may be charged.	Billed extra.
Mediation Lunch for Participants	Box lunch / sandwiches generally included; catered or hotel / conference center lunches billed extra.	Box lunch / sandwiches generally included; catered or hotel / conference center lunches billed extra.
Pre-Mediation Consultation, Research, and Review of Position Statements	Typically included, up to two hours per party.	Typically included, up to two hours per party.
Post-Mediation Consultation and Continued Settlement Efforts	Typically included, up to two hours per party; billed at $500/hour beyond that.	Typically included, up to two hours per party; billed at $500/hour beyond that.

"Time and again, Steve Nelson has solved some of our most complex disputes. Whether the matter was a delay, change order, or breach of contract claim with an owner, sub, or sub’s surety, or a multi-party construction defect case, he stuck with it until it was settled."

- B.C.

General Counsel, ENR 100 size General Contractor

"Steve is smart, measured, creative, knowledgeable and practical. He does not bring a particular bias to matters and sees all perspectives. His knowledge and ability to see matters from various perspectives makes him unique in his ability to suggest practical and creative solutions which satisfy the needs of multiple parties to construction disputes."

- A.S.

Director, National Construction Law Firm

"I have mediated numerous multi-party construction defect cases with Steve dating back to the mid-1990’s. It is my view that his insight, technical knowledge and communication skills consistently bring adverse parties to a negotiated resolution in such claims."

- A.T.

Specialty Casualty Claims Specialist, P&C Carrier

"Steve Nelson is an excellent mediator and a necessary part of any mediator’s network here in Texas"

- M.L.H.

Major Case Specialization Leader, P&C Carrier

"Steve Nelson has the best people skills of anyone I have ever known. Always approachable, take the time to listen, his humbly delivered counsel, and sought after legal skills, have made a positive difference in all endeavors I have been witness to."

- C.D.

Architect, International Architectural & Design Firm

"As a mediator, Steve is typically the brightest guy in the room who can until sophisticated business knots with his common sense, unique perspectives and adroit shaping of the dialogue."

- P.C.

Construction Attorney, Dallas, TX

"Steve is an icon in the industry and the go-to mediator for complex multi-party construction claims. "

- B.W.

A/E Professional Liability Defense Attorney, Dallas, TX

"Steve is an invaluable asset and makes a significant impact in the dispute resolution process. Without his expertise in law, insurance coverage, construction/professional services and understanding of people I would not have been able to resolve some of my most challenging and difficult claims."

- L.G.H.

Vice President, Complex Claims, with an international property & casualty carrier

"His ability to quickly navigate through the facts while balancing issues of risk and coverage is invaluable. "

- B.W.

A/E Professional Liability Defense Attorney, Dallas, TX

"Even when it comes to the most difficult claims involving parties with entrenched opposite positions, Steve meticulously finds a path toward resolution and resolves claims that nobody reasonably anticipated would settle. It’s for those reasons, and many more, that he has earned the respect of parties, counsel and carriers throughout the nation."

- B.W.

A/E Professional Liability Defense Attorney, Dallas, TX

Michael Cronin | A Construction and Surety Mediator

Construction and Surety Claims Background

Mediation Practice

Credentials and Recognition

From Steve Nelson

Michael's Credentials

Licenses & Training

Memberships

Mediation Rates

Steve Nelson ADR

Scheduling

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