Property & Finance Litigation
The group comprises specialist real estate, insolvency, property finance, environment and construction litigators. Clients, including developers, lenders, and insolvency practitioners together with institutional landlords and occupational tenants, value the group’s experience across all real estate sectors.
Linklaters is the preferred choice for leading multinational companies looking for first-class property litigation expertise. Clients often approach the Property and Finance Litigation Group, in preference to their day-to-day legal advisers, to act on complex one-off disputes.
Linklaters’ lawyers act in arbitrations and court proceedings on legal and valuation issues. The group has a strong track record in litigation in a variety of joint venture disputes, involving limited liability partnerships, financing and securitisation arrangements and complex lease structures. Developers, occupiers and adjoining landowners depend on Linklaters’ experience of disputes arising from developments, including rights to light and nuisance claims. The group is widely acknowledged to be the leading rent review practice, especially in prime office and the leisure sector.
Over the past few years, the group has been extensively involved in high profile insolvency cases, dealing with disputes arising out of CVA’s, administration and liquidation, including untested areas relating to rent as an expense of the administration (Game litigation), disclaimer and forfeiture, liens and professional negligence.
As the market improves we are seeing a resurgence of clients gearing up for future development considering strategies on obtaining vacant possession and resolving dilapidations issues.
Recent property and finance litigation cases include:
- acting for Lend Lease on High Court and Court of Appeal wins in a multi-million pound dispute over an option to purchase a stake in the Bluewater Shopping Centre;
- acting for a European real estate investment fund in multiple disputes arising out of its ownership of a multi-national conglomerate’s London HQ;
- acting for a consortium of banks in High Court proceedings relating to the financing of an international hotel group;
- acting in High Court and Court of Appeal actions for the Administrators in the Game litigation relating to the priority ranking of rent in insolvency;
- advising landlords and tenants on substantial prime office rent reviews in the City of London and the West End;
- obtaining injunctions against protestors infringing our clients’ interests, including noise disturbance, harassment and trespass;
- advising on development and PFI related disputes;
- rights of light advice for new development in Canary Wharf;
- acting for liquidators of a Bank enforcing disputed mortgages and borrower claims – following our setting of precedent in Silven.