Real Estate Litigation
UK Bar Guide 2025 : London (Bar)
Band 2
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
(020) 7421 5300Chambers Review
Tanfield Chambers is highlighted for the expertise of its members in landlord and tenant disputes. Barristers at the set have a wealth of knowledge in such matters as lease disputes, restrictive covenants and development issues. The team is also known for its work in enfranchisement disputes. This last year, members of the set appeared in Williams v Aviva Investors Ground Rent GP, a service charge dispute. One interviewee comments that the Tanfield team is "extremely knowledgeable, very sharp and pragmatic in its approach to dispute resolution." Another source adds that the team has "strong sector knowledge especially when it comes to housing and BSA work."
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"The clerks are very proactive and respond in a timely manner."
"The clerks are very approachable and accommodating. Alex Southern, senior practice manager,does everything he can to assist."
"The clerks at Tanfield are personable and approachable."
"Alex Southern is exceptionally good. He is commercial and always ready to discuss costs openly."
"Richard Powell, senior practice manager, is very responsive and manages fee expectations well."
"The clerks are very proactive and respond in a timely manner."
"The clerks are very approachable and accommodating. Alex Southern, senior practice manager,does everything he can to assist."
"The clerks at Tanfield are personable and approachable."
"Alex Southern is exceptionally good. He is commercial and always ready to discuss costs openly."
"Richard Powell, senior practice manager, is very responsive and manages fee expectations well."
Notable Practitioners
James Fieldsend offers pragmatic advice to his clients regarding service charge disputes and leasehold enfranchisement. He also handles matters relating to boundaries and easements. He is a published author who is known for his work applying human rights conventions to property disputes.
"James provides clear and concise advice on very technical issues which is greatly appreciated by his clients."
"James is an exceptional barrister who is easy and pleasant to work with. He's very calm, helpful, accessible and refreshing to deal with."
"James is responsive and great with clients. He provides good, accurate written work and has great teamwork."
"James provides detailed advice in connection with complex matters by giving clear advice about the strengths and weaknesses of different arguments that can be made in a case."
"James provides practical and highly apposite advice, and he is a joy to work with."
Philip Rainey KC 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 on expert determination, fraud claims and easements. He serves as head of Tanfield Chambers. He is experienced in all manner of landlord and tenant matters and is an advocate for reform of the law in this area.
"Philip is one of the titans of the property Bar. He is strong in commercial property matters, and is tenacious and fearlessly persuasive."
"Philip is very well established and is an extremely intelligent, no-nonsense advocate as well as a direct and clear communicator in both his advice and delivery in trial."
"Philip Rainey is strong on complex enfranchisement matters and is very responsive, giving you his thoughts quickly."
"Philip is a go-to barrister for anything with residential or enfranchisement litigation. He is an incredibly bright barrister who is also a very strong advocate."
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 as conveyancing disputes and professional negligence matters. He also has significant niche expertise in work relating to hotels and shopping centres.
"Daniel is a very good, calm and user-friendly barrister. He is collaborative, clever, knowledgeable about possession laws, and a good advocate."
"Daniel is an exceptional advocate but also provides clear, definitive advice that is excellent value. He provides commercial advice, and his gravitas instils confidence in clients."
Michael Buckpitt is a prominent property junior with a practice that focuses on landlord and tenant law. He is further noted for his dedication to leasehold enfranchisement and his representation of retailers in protest cases. He represents developer clients in relation to commercial property matters. He is also known for his work on non-contentious matters, with a focus on development sites.
"Michael has excellent commercial awareness and does his utmost to obtain the best result for his client."
"Michael is very clear in his advice and has strong advocacy skills. His cross-examination is great and he's courteous at all times."
"Michael is an excellent advocate with strong commercial awareness and an approachable nature. Clients and experts are always highly satisfied with working with him."
Nicola Muir focuses her practice on residential and commercial landlord and tenant disputes, and has significant experience in the Court of Appeal. She is known for her work on leasehold enfranchisement and service charge cases.
"Nicola is a highly approachable and extremely knowledgeable barrister."
"Nicola is particularly skilled at handling witnesses in order to obtain the most beneficial evidence from them in a calm and measured manner. These abilities lead to consistently excellent results."
"Nicola has very sound commercial judgement, is excellent with lay clients and is generally a pleasure to work with."
Carl Fain is 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, mortgage-related claims and property-related professional negligence cases. He has experience in significant possession disputes.
"Carl is very clear, commercial and pragmatic. He handles everything brilliantly on each case."
"Carl is very user-friendly and good with clients. His advice is clear and concise."
"Carl gives clear, pragmatic, commercial advice and is able to devise a strategy which can be readily understood by the client."
"Carl gets on very well with clients. He is responsive, approachable and always gives clear advice."
Mark Loveday is best known as an expert in high-value enfranchisement matters. He has also acted in multiple dilapidations cases, as well as contentious rent reviews, forfeitures and service charge disputes. He edits a textbook on the law surrounding service charges and regularly contributes to articles and journals.
"Mark is amazing. His enthusiasm for everything really shines through and you can tell he loves his work, which wins the client's confidence extremely quickly."
"Mark's advocacy is very strong. He really keeps control of the cross-examination when witnesses are trying to derail it."
"Mark is strong in the field of leasehold enfranchisement. He's an excellent advocate, providing high-quality written work in terms of statements of case, witness statements and skeleton arguments."
Piers Harrison is a technical and creative junior who is known for his exceptional command of leasehold matters, and enfranchisement in particular. Harrison also has niche expertise in the private rented sector.
"Piers is very bright and gets a good grasp of the detail quickly."
"Piers brings a high level of academic rigour to his cases and yet is always approachable. He communicates across a range of levels with ease and is a skilful and persuasive advocate."
"Piers is great to work with. He is approachable, very competent, and his advice on leasehold enfranchisement-related matters is excellent."
"Piers is a true expert in the field of leasehold enfranchisement. His pleadings are excellent and his skeleton arguments well researched and convincing."
Timothy Polli KC is particularly noted for his strong practice in matters relating to mortgage law and other securities over land. He also advises on service charge disputes, rights to light and party wall issues, among other cases.
"Tim is incredibly commercial, thorough and looks at every possible angle and identifies the best approach. He is persuasive without being unnecessarily loud, as well incredibly bright and thorough."
"Tim is an exceptionally bright, fantastic tactician who is extremely knowledgeable. His manner with clients is excellent and he really feels very much a part of the team on each case."
"Tim's attention to detail and ability to analyse and distil complex issues is incredible. He works exceptionally well with clients and is always a pleasure to work with."
"Timothy is a real team player who is good to work with and is both flexible and adaptable."
Andrew Butler KC handles both mainstream property rights disputes and commercial real estate cases. He is particularly adept at tackling the company law issues which often arise in these matters. He regularly appears in all levels of court, including the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
"Andrew is a very genial communicator with a great mind for property litigation."
"Andrew's written work is fantastic. His advice is always commercially sound and he thinks of the long-term issues."
"Andrew is easy to work with, approachable and very competent."
"Andrew gives clear advice and considers commercial factors in his work."
Christopher Heather KC handles cases concerning easements, boundaries and a wide range of other property disputes. He is especially noted for his enfranchisement work, and he frequently works with leading instructing solicitors. His clients include property companies and both commercial and residential landlords and tenants.
"Chris is a very good advocate in court who is very personable but also incisive and effective."
"Chris has a razor-sharp legal mind, is very responsive and really puts himself in a position to help whenever needed."
"Chris is an excellent barrister. He really rolls his sleeves up and gets stuck in. You are completely assured he is on top of the detail, and he is excellent with clients."
Marc Glover regularly handles cases involving easements, boundary disputes and property development, including those with many millions of pounds at stake. Glover has handled cases in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. His clients range from high net worth individuals to oil companies.
"Marc is an outstanding talent who can grasp complex matters quickly and provide commercial, client-focused advice."
Nicholas Isaac KC is an authority on the full range of issues arising in disputes involving party walls. He has authored an important legal textbook on the subject. His real estate practice also incorporates easement and boundary matters.
"Nick is particularly strong on party wall matters and is a go-to for those cases."
"Nick is very good at getting to the heart of an issue."
Katie Gray is a well-regarded property litigation junior who has experience at many levels of court, including the Court of Appeal. Gray has expertise in residential and commercial landlord and tenant disputes.
"Katie provides sensible advice and is a formidable advocate."
"Katie is a very good barrister who is very good with clients. She is very knowledgeable and has a good ability to grasp complicated facts very quickly."
Sam Madge-Wyld has an impressively strong real estate litigation practice. Madge-Wyld handles a broad range of residential and commercial cases, including those involving enfranchisement disputes, mortgage issues and lease disputes.
"Sam is a versatile barrister who will get to the bottom of a complex case quickly and push to get a good result."
"Sam is very responsive and is good at managing difficult cases. He really makes himself available and has a good advocacy style."
"Sam is very strong on complex commercial property disputes, not only because of his impressive, wide-ranging knowledge but also the way in which he delivers his advice."
"Sam provides clear and succinct advice and assistance in connection with property disputes. He is responsive and produces excellent work."