Michael Jay Rune II

Michael Rune has 25 years of experience representing owner/developers, condominium associations, contractors, sureties, subcontractors, and suppliers in nearly all aspects of the construction industry and in large-scale commercial construction projects. He has handled construction, surety, fidelity, and related insurance matters as well as mortgage fraud recovery through mediation, arbitration, and litigation in state and federal courts.

In addition to the more traditional construction disputes, including defect and delay claims, Michael has also represented clients in crane, scaffolding, and structural collapse cases throughout the state of Florida. He prosecuted claims in a scaffolding collapse case for a cement manufacturing client facing business interruption and millions in damages up to and including trial, resulting in a favorable outcome for his client. He also defended a regional design-build contractor from $100 million-plus in claims related to a partial collapse of a parking garage.

Michael is known for his hard-hat approach to construction, spending time at construction sites and working with project managers and construction workers to gain firsthand knowledge of the construction industry and what goes on in the field. He has a keen understanding of construction law and the construction process, including the planning, execution, and completion of a construction project, as well as the technical nature of construction-related claims.

Michael is a published author and frequently speaks on issues important to the construction and fidelity industries. He was recognized by Lorman Education Services for his above-benchmark customer course ratings and received the 2017 Platinum Distinguished Faculty Badge. He was the author of the International Association of Defense Counsel’s “Annual Survey of Fidelity and Surety Law” from 1997–2004, and co-author of “Liability and Performance Bond Surety” in The Law of Performance Bonds (ABA 1999).

He is board certified in Construction Law by The Florida Bar.

• Counsel for an international general contractor in more than 140 cases involving disputes with owners, subcontractors, and condominium association concerning payment, delay claims, change-order claims, and construction defects.
• Counsel for a post-tension subcontractor in complex litigation involving a partial garage collapse in Jacksonville, Florida.
• Counsel for a statewide general contractor in complex litigation involving a partial garage collapse in Miami.
• Counsel for the FDIC, as receiver, for failed banks in more than 40 federal lawsuits.

• Board Certified in Construction Law by The Florida Bar
• AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Dade County Bar Association Pro Bono Award
• The Best Lawyers in America, Construction Law, Litigation – Construction (2018–2024)
• Platinum Distinguished Faculty, Lorman Education Services (2017)

• International Association of Defense Counsel
• American Bar Foundation
  • Fellow
• American Bar Association
  • Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section
  • Forum on Construction Law
• National Bonds Claim Association

• “Payment and Performance Bonds in Florida,” The Florida Bar Construction Law Certification Course (2022)
• “Use of Bonds on Construction Projects,” Sixth Annual Insurance in the Construction Industry, The Seminar Group, Miami, FL (August 25, 2022)
• “Construction Management at Risk Fundamentals,” Lorman (2022)
• “Basic Principles of Construction Insurance,” Lorman (2022)
• “Florida Construction Lien Law Essentials: The Good, Bad, and Ugly,” Lorman Education Services (September 16, 2016)
• “Control Risk With Contract Provisions and Construction Bonds,” Lorman Education Services (August 30, 2016)

• Partner, Shutts & Bowen LLP, Miami, FL (2015–2019)
• Co-Managing Partner, Welbaum Guernsey, Pinecrest, FL (1997–2014)