Richard Flenley > Charles Russell Speechlys LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Charles Russell Speechlys LLP Offices
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5 Fleet Place
EC4M 7RD
England
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Richard Flenley
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Work Department
Real Estate Disputes
Position
Partner
Career
He has experience in all types of real estate disputes and real estate focussed professional negligence disputes and acts for a range of clients including institutional landlords, commercial tenants and occupiers, residential developers, insolvency practitioners, utilities companies, and both primary and secondary lenders. His client base ranges from major international companies to small businesses and individuals.
His key areas of work include: professional negligence, energy wayleaves and other energy sector related work, judicial review, contentious and non-contentious lease renewals under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, possession claims, dilapidations, break options, service charge disputes, rent review and alienation issues. He also has significant experience of property insolvency issues, compulsory purchase orders (jointly leading the firm’s contentious compulsory purchase team), all aspects of development disputes and disputes between adjoining landowners including rights of way and boundary disputes.
He is also a member of the property litigation association and the compulsory purchase association.
Richard is admitted to practise in England and Wales.
Experience
- Acted for wagamama in its successful defence of a claim brought against it seeking to force it to enter into a lease following the landlord’s failure to comply with its contractual obligations (Performance Retail (General Partner) Ltd v wagamama Ltd [2021] EWHC 564 (Ch)
- Acted for a number of clients (landlords and tenants) affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic advising on issues such as rent arrears and other liabilities, Government protections, the effect of the Code of Practice commercial property relationships during the Pandemic, and providing associated property-insolvency advice
- Successfully appealed the certificate of appropriate alternative development given by the local authority to our clients so as to support their ongoing blight notice compensation claim against Highways England (Lockwood v Highways England Co Ltd [2019] UKUT 104
- Acted for a number of property owners, investors and occupiers (including The Ernest Cook Trust) adversely affected by the proposed HS2 railway line including petitioning (and appearing before) the Select Committee of the House of Commons during the parliamentary process on Phase 1 of the Bill
- Represented a major civil service pension fund in defending an action brought by an adjacent landowner seeking to directly enforce the terms of a s.106 agreement against my clients. Succeeded both in the High Court and Court of Appeal (Milebush Properties Ltd v Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council and Others [2010] EWHC 1022 (Ch) and [2011] EWCA Civ 270
Lawyer Rankings
South East > Real estate > Property litigation
(Next Generation Partners)Demonstrating ‘a great energy and sense of cohesion’, the Charles Russell Speechlys LLP team is highly recommended for its handling of property litigation issues, particularly in relation to mortgage-based disputes, landlord and tenant claims, and property finance matters. The group represents clients ranging from banks to large multinational companies, with the ‘exceptional’ Guilford-based head David Haines
noted for his vast expertise in property-related professional negligence claims and dilapidations. Richard Flenley, who was promoted to partner in May 2022, regularly assists with development-based disputes and property insolvency elements, while Peter Levaggi focuses on contentious property finance work. Natalie Deuchar boasts significant experience in dealing with leasehold enfranchisement matters. Joe Edwards typically acts for offshore property investment vehicles and specialist real estate lenders.
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Private client > Family
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Dispute resolution > Professional discipline
Firm Rankings
- Private client > Agriculture and estates
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
- Private client > Court of protection
- Private client > Family: mediation
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Employment > Immigration
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Advertising & marketing
- Real estate > Property litigation
- Real estate > Residential property
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- Real estate > Construction: contentious
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Industry focus > Emerging markets
- Corporate and commercial > Equity capital markets – small-mid cap
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- Investment fund formation and management > Listed funds
- Real estate > Planning
- Dispute resolution > Professional discipline
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Industry focus > Retail and consumer
- Employment > Senior executives
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Fintech
- Industry focus > Hospitality and leisure
- Corporate and commercial > Partnership
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Employment > Employers
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory
- Corporate and commercial > Private equity: transactions - mid-market deals (up to £250m)
- Real estate > Property finance
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious)
- Corporate and commercial > Venture capital
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition
- Public sector > Administrative and public law
- Employment > Employee share schemes