Matthew Spring

Practice Areas

Matthew is the firm’s first solicitor-advocate, entitled to appear at all levels of the Court system, including the Supreme Court.

An experienced civil litigator, Matthew’s particular specialism is resolving property disputes. He acts for a range of corporate and individual clients in real estate matters (including development issues, rights of way, rights of light, party walls). He handles landlord and tenant/property management issues in both commercial and residential sectors (from industrial estates to residential flats).

Legal 500 recognises the firm for its work on high value residential property and Matthew is a leading adviser of the firm in leasehold enfranchisement (residential lease extensions, collective enfranchisement and freehold acquisition) in which he has taken a case into the Supreme Court on qualifying criteria under the 1967 Act. He acts for landlords and tenants in disputes involving property management, service charges, breach of covenant and forfeiture of leases at First Tier and Upper Tribunal, County Court, High Court level and above. He has experience of right to manage companies and rights of first refusal.

Matthew resolves contentious countryside issues with the firm’s private client team for landed estates and agriculture. His property practice crosses into the field of construction law where he advises on performance and payment, negligence and damage issues arising under and out of JCT and other construction contracts, as well as resolving disputes through adjudication.

He advises individuals and companies on insolvency issues, as well as having experience in acting for Administrators, LPA Receivers and Trustees in Bankruptcy. His Chancery law practice includes partnership disputes, including obtaining injunctions against outgoing partners, asset recovery in the context of trust litigation and contentious probate matters. He handles Court cases on cohabitation and beneficial interests in property.

For several years Matthew has been a recommended lawyer in the Legal 500 in both its property litigation, and estates and agriculture sections. He is praised for being “totally thorough and tenacious” and “a pleasure to work with”. He is valued for being “bright, organised and engaging” as well as “extremely professional, diligent, meticulous, knowledgeable and approachable”.

Matthew has a Masters degree in Law, and is a member of the Property Litigation Association and the London Solicitors Litigation Association.

Reported cases:

Curtis v Pulbrook [2009] EWHC 782 (Ch) – trusts, indemnities and undue influence

Curtis v Pulbrook [2011] EWHC 167 (Ch) – beneficial interests and charging orders; gifts and settings aside transactions defrauding creditors

Magnohard Limited v Earl Cadogan & anor [2012] EWCA Civ 594 (CA); Supreme Ct 5.7.12 (unrep) – leasehold enfranchisement and mansion blocks

Morshead Mansions Limited v Mactra Properties Limited [2013] EWHC 224 (Ch); [2013] EWCA Civ 1879 (CA grant permission to appeal) – contractual provisions in leases as to service charge accounts

Di Marco v Morshead Mansions Limited [2014] EWCA Civ 96 (CA) – injunctions and the statutory obligations of landlord as to service charge.

Career

Qualified 2000, joined Payne Hicks Beach 1998.

Professional Memberships

Matthew is a member of the Property Litigation Association and the London Solicitors Litigation Association.

Education