John de Waal

Property litigation, professional indemnity, professional indemnity insurance, mediation

John de Waal KC specialises in chancery and commercial work with a particular focus on property law and property-related professional negligence.

He is regularly instructed in complex property-related litigation in the Chancery Division and the Court of Appeal. In 2015 John appeared in the Supreme Court in Cavendish v Makdessi [2016] AC 1172, the decision that is now the leading case on the law of penalties. The directories say that he has a “Razor-sharp legal mind which is alive to the practical application of legal analysis” and "an exceptional knowledge of the law and an excellent ability to provide clear, concise advice."

John has a very busy professional negligence practice acting for both claimants and defendants. His advocacy has been described as "…effective and persuasive, even under extreme fire."

He has been described as "an excellent specialist to call upon for complicated high stakes matter that require the attention and skill of a KC."

John is the editor of the title “Risk and Negligence in Property Transactions” published by the Law Society in October 2018. The 2nd edition will be published in 2022.

John was a recent winner of Real Estate, Environment and Planning Silk of the Year at the Legal 500 Awards.

Mediation

John particularly enjoys working as a mediator and has acted as lead mediator in over 100 mediations. He is a member of Property Mediators.

Cantab (1986 MA Hons); accredited mediator (2001 CEDR).