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Stephanie was called to the Bar in 1990. Her two principal areas of practice are property and contentious probate. She is recognised as having the ability to present attractively the essence of a case and quickly to assimilate and simplify complicated facts. She is highly-rated by a wide range of solicitors and able to develop an excellent rapport with lay clients.
The Directories
Stephanie is described as "a strong litigator" and "an excellent choice for partnership issues" (Legal 500)
Areas of Emphasis
Stephanie has a wide-ranging property and chancery practice, regularly appearing in litigation in the High Court, County Court, before Land Registry Adjudicators, and before the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber). Stephanie’s work comprises commercial landlord and tenant disputes, agriculture, including farm business tenancies, licenses, boundary disputes, easements (reported C/A case: Jobson v Record [1998] 75P&CR 375), restrictive covenants, co-ownership, rectification, mortgages/ charges. Her clients range from individual home owners and commercial tenants to large property developers, landowners, commercial organisations and local authorities. She also undertakes property-related insolvency work, acting for and against insolvency practitioners.
Some of her recent cases have involved:
- obtaining substantial damages against landlord in claim involving the extent of a reinstatement following fire clause in a commercial lease
- successfully representing claimant in litigation arising from a buy-back scheme entered into when he was desperate to sell his property due to impending insolvency
- representing landowner in opportunistic claim brought by an occupier involving issues of whether he had a licence or a tenancy
- establishing an easement of parking following an adjudication by the Land Registry
- arbitration of a dispute over the construction of an access road raising issues of promissory estoppel
Stephanie has also advised:
- purchasers of apartments on return of their deposits in situation where developer unlikely to complete the development because of the fall in the property market.
- the daughter of a bankrupt in relation to her beneficial interest in jointly owned property against trustee in bankruptcy, whether constructive trust/proprietary estoppel and whether transaction at an undervalue.
- a property developer on modification/discharge of restrictive covenants against building on land and application to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber)
- on the status of a farmer’s occupation of land, whether grazing agreement, licence or farm business tenancy.
Stephanie is also recognised for her expertise in partnership disputes, particularly in dealing with such disputes before a mediator.
She is experienced in dealing with minority shareholder disputes, particularly unfair prejudice petitions.
Her contentious probate work involves disputed wills, recalcitrant executors, proprietary estoppel and Inheritance Act claims. She has a particular interest the law of proprietary estoppel and has lectured on that subject. Her recent work includes a number of successful contested actions to remove an executor and cases involving issues of lack of testamentary capacity, want of knowledge and approval and proprietary estoppel.
Recent Cases
Defending an unfair prejudice petition involving licensed premises and allegations of false accounting
Solicitors' negligence case arising out of completion of a commercial lease
Dispute over the construction of a will arising out of a farming partnership
Claim involving the extent of a reinstatement following fire clause in a commercial lease
Inheritance Act claim involving illegitimate son, contesting a negative paternity (DNA) test, to obtain a substantial settlement figure
Career and Associations
BA in Law and French
Member of the Chancery Bar Association
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