St John’s Real Estate team is pre-eminent in the area of real estate litigation on the Western Circuit and in Wales.
We pride ourselves in providing specialist advice and representation across all areas of real estate law. Our approach is friendly, flexible and client-focused and is designed to achieve successful, practical, cost-effective outcomes that serve our clients’ interests. Our members have been described by peers as a “stand-out Bristol set offering expertise in all types of real estate litigation matters”, “easy to work with” and “committed to delivering quality advice on time”.
Our commercial property specialisms include conveyancing disputes, land registration (especially priorities), mortgages, overage clauses, options, and rights of pre-emption.
Our expertise in landlord and tenant disputes covers commercial, agricultural, and public and private sector residential cases. We are regularly instructed in relation to (for example) rent reviews, service charges, assignments/subleases, dilapidations, break notices, forfeiture, and statutory renewals. For agriculture, see our dedicated agricultural and rural affairs section.
We particularly specialise in traditional Land law matters, such as easements (public and private rights of way, rights to light, water rights, etc), highways, profits, restrictive covenants, party walls, boundaries and adverse possession and nuisance (including tree roots, Japanese knotweed & other invasive species, flooding and subsidence), rights of common and manorial rights.
In the wider property sphere we cover property-related disputes as to the ownership of land, especially proprietary estoppel and co-ownership arising from constructive/resulting trusts, and disputes between trustees and beneficiaries. We also cover property-related professional negligence claims involving valuers and legal professionals.
We advise a range of clients including rural estates, local authorities, developers, housing associations and private individuals.
There are 21 members in the team, several of whom are widely regarded as leading individuals in this area. We undertake advisory work and drafting in both litigation-related and non-contentious matters. We appear at all levels of tribunal, from the Supreme Court to the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (in Wales).
Mediation
As the number of cases being dealt with by way of mediation increases, our mediation team are on hand to help, be it by providing the advocates, mediators or both. Our facilities are specifically designed to meet with clients’ needs for a mediation venue. Read more. For our mediation services during the COVID-19 social distancing lockdown please click on the following news item:
St John’s Chambers – remote mediations in wills & trusts, real estate and commercial disputes
Public Access
Some members of the team are also available to act, where appropriate, for members of the public, as well as commercial and non-commercial organisations, under the Public Access scheme. Read more.
Training
The team delivers workshops and seminars in Chambers and regional centres. We also provide training on behalf of local Law Societies and in conjunction with solicitors’ firms. In addition we can give tailored in-house training for particular firms. If you would like any further information please contact Paul Nuttall on 0117 923 4742 or email: [email protected]
View our Real Estate digital book here for further details about how we can help you.