Tanfield Chambers – Chambers UK 2017

2nd November 2016

Tanfield Chambers has once again been recognised by Chambers and Partners UK 2017, ranked band 3 for real estate litigation. The directory which ranks the top UK sets in their areas of specialism has stated:

‘Tanfield is a highly regarded set with an established reputation as enfranchisement and residential property specialists. It is noted for its skill in handling a range of real estate issues from land registrations, village greens and rights of light to easements and boundaries. All manner of real estate clients are catered for including a number of high-profile developers and landowners. Sources say they would “recommend Tanfield Chambers for property related litigation generally.”‘

The overall customer service and range of barristers was also highlighted:

“The clerking is good. They’re sensibly priced and they have a lot of good barristers at junior to mid-junior level.”

This years’ rising stars were Marc Glover and Michael Walsh, both of whom entered the rankings under Real Estate Litigation. Harriet Holmes was selected as an up-and-coming individual in the same practice area and Laura Robinson made her debut in the employment sector. Karen Jones also entered highly within the Agriculture and Rural Affairs rankings, whilst Iain Mitchell QC featured prominently in the Scottish rankings for Information Technology, Intellectual Property and Public Procurement.

Full results can be found here.

Real Estate Litigation

Philip Rainey QC – Continues to be regarded as one of the Bar’s finest property silks, and has an excellent reputation for his enfranchisement work. His practice is also centred around expert determination, fraud claims and easements.

Strengths: “Superb for enfranchisement leasehold. He is clever, articulate and robust as well.” “He drives them from the top…”

James Fieldsend – Offers pragmatic advice to his clients regarding service charge disputes and leasehold enfranchisement. He is a published author, who is known for his work applying human rights conventions to property disputes.

Strengths: “Always commercial and focused and great with clients.”

Christopher Heather – Handles cases concerning easements, boundaries, industrial estates and restaurants, amongst others. He is especially noted for his professional negligence and enfranchisement work.

Strengths: “He was very sensible in providing realistic advice and doing what he felt was appropriate to manage expectations.” “Pragmatic, technically sound and extremely helpful and proactive.”

Michael Buckpitt – A prominent property junior, with practice that focuses on landlord and tenant law. He is also noted for his dedication to leasehold enfranchisement and his close relationship with London Estates.

Strengths: “He gives good, down-to-earth, practical advice and gets on well with and communicates well with developer clients.”

Nicola Muir – Focuses her practice on residential and commercial landlord and tenant disputes, and has significant experience in the Court of Appeal.

Strengths: “Very good on service charges, and landlord and tenant work.”

Timothy Polli – Noted for his expertise spanning contract and commercial law, as well as his professional negligence work and his handling of development disputes. He come highly praised for his advocacy.

Strengths: “An experienced junior and a good trial lawyer for property-related matters.” “He is very impressive and holds the court’s attention. He is a real specialist in the field and good on the detail.”

Andrew Butler – A well-reputed real estate barrister, who focuses on commercial and professional negligence disputes. He is noted for his work in property damage, service charge and joint venture claims.

Daniel Dovar – Has a diverse commercial and residential property practice, specialising in contentious landlord and tenant matters. He is frequently sought out by clients for guidance on leasehold disputes, as well conveyancing disputes and professional negligence matters.

Strengths: “He is very persuasive and intelligent.” “His opinion was one of the most refreshing I’d ever read. The advice he gave was very simple to follow and constructive.”

Ellodie Gibbons – A widely respected property junior known for advising on commercial and residential landlord disputes. Her practice includes service and administration charge issues, right to manage cases and enfranchisement claims.

Strengths: “She is very knowledgeable on leasehold enfranchisement, and is approachable and pragmatic.” “Ellodie gives practical advice in a plain-speaking manner and has a well-deserved reputation for enfranchisement work.”

Nicholas Isaac – An authority on the full range of issues arising in disputes involving party walls. His real estate practice also incorporates easement and boundary matters.

Strengths: “He is a really good property litigator.” “He is a compelling advocate and I don’t know anyone better at managing a challenging client.”

Carl Fain – A talented property barrister with expertise in business tenancy renewals, service charge disputes and dilapidation claims. His practice also takes in landlord and tenant matters.

Strengths: “Has excellent knowledge of property law and is a safe pair of hands for any property dispute. He has an ability to see the big picture and achieve a cost-effective resolution, and is a pleasure to deal with.” “An extremely able and approachable barrister who provides practical advice.”

Marc Glover – Garners praise for his user-friendly approach. He regularly handles cases involving easements, boundary disputes and property development.

Strengths: “He breaks down difficult concepts and has a very good eye for detail, as well as strategy.” “He is a real pleasure to work with, and is a very engaging person with an excellent knowledge of the court.”

Mark Loveday – Maintains a diverse commercial and residential property litigation practice. He has recently acted on multiple dilapidations cases, as well as contentious rent reviews and forfeitures.

Strengths: “He provided excellent advice. He was very thorough and is obviously very knowledgeable in his field.” “A bright and intelligent guy you take difficult problems to.”

Michael Walsh – Acts for landlords, developers, local government bodies and large institutional lenders in a broad range of property-related cases. He regularly handles matters concerning development issues, agricultural land and commercial property.

Strengths: “He rose to the challenge at short notice and got a fantastic result for our client.”

Harriet Holmes – Frequently appears at the High Court and County Courts, taking on a diverse range of matters, including adverse possession, enfranchisement and party wall issues. She is noted for her dedication to her clients.

Strengths: “She gave the client a great deal of confidence and is intellectually very able.” “She is genuinely committed to the client’s interests.”

Social Housing

Kerry Bretherton QC – Has a long-standing reputation for public law and real estate litigation, and regularly acts on behalf of social housing tenants and homeless applicants. She has significant experience of appearing before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Strengths: “She goes the extra mile for clients and thinks outside the box.”

Rebecca Cattermole – A landlord and tenant specialist with an enviable understanding of the property aspects of social housing law, as well as antisocial behaviour and housing management issues.

Strengths: “Her paperwork is superb. She is bright and tenacious.”

Administrative & Public Law

Kerry Bretherton QC – Frequently appears at the High Court and County Courts, taking on a diverse range of matters, including adverse possession, enfranchisement and party wall issues. She is noted for her dedication to her clients.

Strengths: “She gave the client a great deal of confidence and is intellectually very able.” “She is genuinely committed to the client’s interests.”

Agriculture & Rural Affairs

Karen Jones – Public law specialist and former adviser to the Country Land and Business Association. She is regularly instructed in cases involving issues of town or village greens and rights of way.

Strengths: “Karen’s expertise on public rights of way is there for all to see. She provides clear and incisive advice and is very easy to work with.”

Court of Protection: Health & Welfare

Kerry Bretherton QC – A new addition to silk whose Court of Protection practice sees her acting for a broad range of clients, ranging from local authorities to families and deputies.

Strengths: “Her commitment and persistence moved her client’s position on very well. Without her purposefulness of mind, our client wouldn’t have got the level of contact that he has with his adult children. She made a really big difference.”

Employment

Laura Robinson – A strong practitioner offering quality advice across thorny discrimination, whistle-blowing and unfair dismissal cases. Clients are keen to highlight her impressive advocacy style, noting that she is calm and unflappable under pressure but is equally able to push difficult points when necessary.

Strengths: “A very competent and personable barrister who is able to delve to the heart of complex cases easily.” “She really knows her stuff and is very down to earth.”

Information Technology

Iain Mitchell QC – Highly regarded for his expert handling of complex matters across the IT law spectrum. He has vast experience in such areas as outsourcing, commercial contracts and software licensing. His complementary expertise in employment and business law informs his high-quality work in the space.

Strengths: “He’s very practical, pleasant to work with and he’s got an impressive ability to take a large amount of information and distil it to its original essence.”

Intellectual Property

Iain Mitchell QC – Seasoned advocate at the Scottish Bar with experience across the full spectrum of IP disputes. He is noted for his complementary expertise in IT and technology law and is routinely called on to tackle complex copyright infringement, design rights and data protection issues.

Strengths: “Very intelligent and willing to go for ambitious arguments with great success. He will push the boundaries where necessary.”

Licensing

Stephen Monkcom – Has a strong advisory licensing practice, with special emphasis on the gaming and gambling sectors. He has an enviable reputation in this area and is widely known for his academic prowess.

Strengths: “He is a really clever chap with immensely sound judgement.” “He provides extremely thorough and considered advice.”

Matrimonial Finance

Kerstin Boyd – Matrimonial finance junior who handles all manner of proceedings following relationship dissolution, including those relating to TOLATA and the Schedule 1 Children Act. She is committed to providing an affordable service to a wide range of clients.

Strengths: “She is very personable and professional. She’s great with clients and good at explaining things very simply, especially when dealing with financial reports.”

Public Procurement

Iain Mitchell QC – A well-established silk who is qualified to practise at both the English and Scottish Bar. He is best known for his expertise in the IP and IT arenas, and has recently advised extensively on a number of major public software procurements.

Strengths: “He’s very practical. He’s got an ability to take a large amount of information and distil it to its original essence. A pleasure to work with.”