Ronald Fletcher Baker LLP

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Deniz Oguzkanli, a partner, heads up the firm’s Istanbul office. Described in the Legal 500 2012 as ‘sure-footed’, 2013 edition as ‘extremely competent’ and 2014 as experienced in ‘high-value, complex cross-border disputes’ Deniz initially cut his teeth on matters of serious crime, extradition and business crime. His work for business clients in the fields of regulatory law has seen significant victories in recent years. Most notably he was involved in Operation Blue Sky as well as a matter involving fraud on an international scale, spanning several jurisdictions. Deniz acts for international businesses, banks and other law firms. He is involved in drafting commercial agreements, partnership and joint venture agreements, employment issues and company formations both in the UK and abroad. At the forefront of his advice is his experience in regulatory and financial compliance. In recent years he has introduced and overseen matters involving multi-jurisdictional infringement of copyright and trade mark, as well as substantial commercial contractual disputes. Deniz has long been involved internationally with legal work originating in Turkey and has extensive connections with leading businesses there. He is now leading the development of the firm’s Istanbul office which has been set up to service Turkish businesses with their domestic and international work in this fast moving emerging market. Deniz’ other work includes a seat on the Management Committee of Hackney Law Centre and service as a Labour Councillor in the London Borough of Hackney. He is a member of Amnesty International and a Lawyer for Liberty.

John O’Callaghan

John qualified as a solicitor in 1983 and has been a partner in the firm since 1990. John has a broad base of experience in the law with many longstanding client connections. He now specialises in property transactions and heads up the Baker Street office where the real estate department is building up connections in the retail, hotel and leisure sectors. The Legal 500 2012 described John as ‘very solid in his knowledge, and objective in his advice’. The Legal 500 2013 describes John as being ‘a poised and rational presence in the most difficult of situations’. The Legal 500 2014 describes John as having ‘excellent communication skills’. He acts for clients in connection with commercial and investment property, property development and financing as well as high value residential property and complex leasehold transactions. John is also the appointed person for the conveyancing quality scheme, to which the firm was one of the first in London to be admitted. In recent years he notably acted in a £10m hotel acquisition and recently he acted for a major lender in the purchase of two leading hotels valuing £5m. He has been instrumental in securing significant panel accreditations. He also remains the lead contact for the firm’s bank work.

Rakeebah Rahim

Rakeebah Rahim is the managing partner at the firm. Described as ‘tremendously capable’ in the legal 500 2012, Rakeebah has been practising as a solicitor with the firm since 1989. The 2013 The Legal 500 noted that Rakeebah Rahim ‘works tirelessly, and is very efficient’. As managing partner, Rakeebah is able to draw upon over 20 years’ experience in crime, property and compliance. She has overseen the firm’s growth in recent years and was at the forefront of some of the firms significant panel work. She has been described in The Legal 500 2014 as ‘committed, and excellent with clients' and is best known for her experience in ‘high-value, complex cross-border disputes’.

Rudi Ramdarshan

Rudi Ramdarshan is a partner of the firm and The Legal 500 recommended Lawyer in the dispute resolution department specialising in commercial and property litigation at our Baker Street office. He is also a CIArb-accredited mediator. Property litigation: his client base includes high net worth individuals, charities and substantial corporate investors, including many based overseas, offshore, or inter alia the BVI, Bahamas, Mauritius, Seychelles, Romania, Turkey and the Isle of Man. Rudi is described in The Legal 500 2014 as having ‘an instinctive feel for property law'. His practice includes 1954 Act highly contested lease renewal proceedings, forfeiture and applications for relief, commercial rent reviews and dilapidation disputes often against prime retail companies. He is regularly instructed in high-value dilapidations disputes, right to light disputes, enfranchisement, construction disputes as well as forfeiture and complex litigation arising out of defective leases. His recent cases include Toplain Ltd v Orange Retail [2012] EWHC 4254 (Ch) (26 July 2012), which involved a Notice of Discontinuance served by the solicitors for Orange Retail Limited by mistake and whether the court was able to use CPR 3.10 to remedy a procedural error in absence of an express provision in CPR 38. Commercial litigation: his experience in commercial litigation includes advising on cases, often with international and cross-border issues, including intellectual property and trademark disputes, breaches of commercial contracts, commercial business and partnership disputes, injunctions, arbitration and construction disputes. He has been involved in significant partnership and company disputes, including high value company deadlock, breach of directors duties, petitions for unfair prejudice and equitable winding up. In the field of copyright litigation Rudi has experience in conducting litigation against all major UK newspapers and has been involved in High Court litigation involving issues of breach of copyright, flagrancy and a public interest defence. He also has experience of privacy and injunctions arising out of breach of confidence. Rudi’s grounding in public litigation has meant that he is able to identify key legal issues at an early stage and challenge rulings and decisions where necessary. This is evidenced by his involvement in the High Court case of MH&Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Rev 1) [2008] EWHC 2525 (Admin) and the Court of Appeal case of Secretary of State for the Home Department v AHK & Ors [2009] EWCA Civ 287, which clarified the use of special advocates where disclosure is withheld on public interest grounds. Other interests: In his spare time Rudi maintains a keen interest in human rights and in particular the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, having previously been involved in the administrative court case of Queen on the Application of Lutete and Others [2007] EWHC 2331. Rudi continues to advise several charities on a pro bono basis.

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