What areas of law do I practice as a direct access barrister?
- Disputes about property and land:
- Who actually owns a property when a couple break up (TOLATA claims). This includes disputes about the matrimonial when a married couple divorce.
- Disputes about property when its been transferred and someone’s name is not on the paperwork
- Boundary disputes regarding land
- Disputes between neighbours
- Rights of way and easements (such as parking or access)
- Landlord and tenant (residential and commercial)
- Service charge disputes
- Business tenancy renewal disputes
- Disputes about when someone has died:
- Regarding a will’s validity (probate claim)
- Interpreting terms in a will and its meaning
- Removing executors from office because they are not doing their job
- Long delays in the administration or dispute about the debts the deceased had
- If you’ve been excluded from a will or not been provided reasonably from the will or the laws of intestacy (inheritance claims)
- Transfers made by the deceased in life which are causing concern. This might amount to financial abuse
- Sums of money going missing from the estate
- Troublesome beneficiaries causing issues in the administration
- Business disputes
- Usually contract disputes such as a business not paying money on a debt or one side of the contract not upholding their side of the agreement
- Disputes regarding interpretation of contracts and terms
- Disagreements about whether a contract has formed and if somebody had authority i.e., actual, apparent and ostensible authority
- Other areas I practice:
- Matrimonial finance, i.e., what happens to money and assets when a couple separates and goes through the divorce process.
- Debts and personal loans
- Assessment of finances for care home fees by local authorities
- Drafting documents such as deeds of assignment to wind up the administration of a death estate
- Advising regarding personal guarantees in business contracts
- Consumer credit disputes
- Personal insolvency and winding up petitions including statutory demands
Areas of procedure (illustrative):
- All County Court and High Court hearings
- Small claim, fast track and multi-track matters
- Part 7 and Part 8 claims
- Disposal hearings
- Applications for default judgment and applications to set aside
- All interim (interlocutory) hearings including for applications
- Security for costs applications
- Relief from sanctions
- Specific disclosure applications
- Strike out and summary judgment applications
- Allocation and directions hearings
- Cost and Case Management Hearings
- Applications for injunctions including ex parte
- Final hearings and multi-day trials
- Costs applications
Well it might be helpful to list what I don’t do:
- Criminal proceedings representation
- Employment disputes
- Immigration advice
- Intellectual property advice
- Proceedings relating to children
- Professional negligence
- I’m not a fan of nuisance but it does sometimes go along with trespass particularly in boundary disputes
Unfortunately I can’t offer advice in those areas as they are just not my thing!
“I really enjoyed working with you last week – you are clearly skilled in achieving that necessary balance between legal argument and pragmatism. I hope we’ll have another opportunity before too long.”
— Senior Mediator