Ben is a Senior Associate in our property and infrastructure disputes team, with a particular specialism in telecoms work under the Electronic Communications Code. He has experience acting for owners, developers, investors, management companies, tenants, mobile network operators and their landlords, and others in relation to a wide range of commercial and residential property disputes (including dilapidations, title issues, telecoms, debt recovery, access rights, development issues, emergency relief, removal, construction defects, rent review and service charges).
Ben builds strong relationships with his clients through his approachable attitude, responsiveness and reliability in providing commercially-focused advice. He understands the need to have his client’s wishes at the heart of his decision-making, with experience resolving complex high-value disputes in the Court of Session, Sheriff Courts (including appearance work) and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland (including appearance work) as well as by mediation, negotiation and arbitration.
Prior to joining the firm Ben had a broad Scottish commercial disputes practice at a well-known global law firm, where he spent 7 years advising a range of local and international clients (including local authorities, social landlords, financial organisations, pension schemes and utility companies) across a variety of sectors. Since leaving University Ben has continued to provide pro bono legal advice and support to students/young lawyers via law clinics or through the firm.
- Advising a global institutional landlord in two connected and long-running Court of Session disputes with a cumulative value in excess of £25M, regarding latent and inherent construction defects, professional negligence, short negative prescription and contractual limitation.
- Obtaining emergency orders from the Court of Session and Sheriff Courts for a variety of clients, for example, to: remove unlawful occupiers, prevent confidential data being processed, prevent unlawful protests and strikes, prevent water ingress and prevent the unlawful deletion of evidence.
- Resolving at mediation a long-running and complex Court of Session dispute involving a commercial contract for PV panels on numerous local authority-owned buildings.
- Assisting developer clients (including a local authority) with obtaining a commercial settlement to allow them to develop land which telecoms operators were operating from.
- Defending a UK Utilities client in a complex Court of Session service charge dispute.
- Advising telecoms operators on a large termination project, involving exiting a portfolio of over 400 leases/licences throughout the UK.
- Acting for a leading social landlord on title conditions in a development context, including advising on enforceability and procedure to vary or discharge these.
- Advising landlord and tenant clients on dealing with their commercial real estate interests through the COVID-19 pandemic.
