Expertise

Chris is a Partner in our Manchester Real Estate team. Chris specialises in Real Estate Disputes. He prides himself on providing practical and commercial solutions to Real Estate problems. His work covers all areas of Real Estate Disputes for landlords, tenants, developers and investors in areas such as business rates and their mitigation, development issues (such as restrictive covenants, rights to light etc), landlord and tenant issues (such as dilapidations, lease renewals, service charge disputes etc.). Chris also regularly advises banks and insolvency practitioners on insolvency related property disputes with a particular specialism in fraudulent transactions. 

Chris has been involved in a number of recent reported cases including:

• Re Pinnacle (Angelgate) Limited [2020] EWHC 141 (Ch) concerning the recovery of c.£30m of investors' funds in a failed residential development scheme
• The Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy –v- PAG Asset Preservation Limited [2020] EWCA Civ 1017 successfully assisting the defence of a public interest winding up petition against a business rates mitigation provider in the High Court and Court of Appeal
• Rossendale BC and Others v. Hurstwood Properties (A) Ltd and Others [2021] UKSC 16 a combined test case where Chris acted in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court concerning business rates mitigation schemes
• HPUT –v- Boots UK Limited (2021) a 1954 Act lease renewal with particular importance to the treatment of rent free periods in the valuation process