Ed is an experienced real estate disputes lawyer with particular expertise dealing with developers in relation to building defects as well as the hotel and hospitality industry. He often acts on multimillion-pound disputes for clients including developers, investors, landlords, tenants and funders, as well as insolvency practitioners.
Ed acted for the developer and landlord in the leading fire-safety building defects case in the High Court in relation to liability for defective cladding and insulation.
In the hospitality sector, Ed is recognised as an industry expert and has acted for or against almost every global hospitality brand.
I've instructed Ed on a number of matters and he's proved to be an expert in his field. He always delivered his advice within the agreed timescale. I was very impressed with his sensible, commercial approach to matters and I trusted his judgement entirely
Julie Bassi, Senior Associate at Al Tamimi & Company
Expertise
- Real estate disputes
- Construction disputes
- Development disputes
- Real estate management
- Hotel and hospitality disputes
- Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
Experience
Development Disputes
- Defended the developer and landlord in the leading High Court case in relation to defective ACM cladding, Kingspan K15 insulation and cavity barriers.
- Acted for the developer on a dispute over fire-safety-related building defects and agreeing new terms for sale using a building regulations functional compliance assessment by an IFE-registered fire engineer.
- Acted for the developer of a 168-key, five-star landmark central London hotel in its dispute with the fund which purchased the hotel.
- Advised a leading co-living brand on its management and consultancy arrangements for a new-build co-living development in central London.
- Dealt with a suite of issues for an airspace development in Wembley, including the removal of electronic communications apparatus and negotiating the release of rights of light.
- Acted for a FTSE100 property company in obtaining vacant possession of a south London former retail site for development as a mixed-use residential/commercial development; a vacant site was achieved six months ahead of schedule and 50% under budget.
Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure
- Acted for the funder in a dispute between the funder and developer of a central London hotel where the main contractor suddenly became insolvent.
- Advised the investor in a non-FCA-regulated fractional hotel ownership scheme on termination of the sale contract and recouping its investment.
- Represented a sovereign wealth fund in the acquisition by sale-and-manage-back of a landmark London hotel for £400m.
- Advised on the joint venture and management/franchising suite of documentation for a 13-hotel JV agreement with a major brand and white-label operator.
- Advised a UK clearing bank on enforcement by appointment of LPA receivers on two large UK hotels and exercise of power of sale by auction.
- Advised a UK bank in its capacity as lead lender on enforcement options of a multimillion-dollar syndicated loan facility secured against an international chain of hotels.
- Advised on lease and franchise documentation for Hampton by Hilton in a city centre in Poland.
- Provided due diligence on a suite of hotel franchising and management documentation for a major German bank’s property finance arm proposing to refinance the owner of a large hotel chain in Europe.
Retail
- Advised on the new binding arbitration process to resolve outstanding commercial rent debts related to the pandemic under the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022.
- Acted for six major retail landlords in a multimillion-pound claim involving a dispute over a retailer’s security of tenure.
- Advised on the due diligence for the acquisition of a portfolio of London shopping centres and the post-acquisition strategy for optimising the tenant mix.
- Advised on enforcement against travellers occupying a retail car park, obtaining an urgent High Court possession order and enforcing removal within 48 hours.
- Acted for the Metro Shopping Fund in the first reported case in which a landlord obtained the court’s permission for the landlord to forfeit following a pre-pack sale of the insolvent business by administrators (Metro Nominees (Wandsworth) (No. 1) Limited and Others v K Rayment & Others [2008] BCC 40).
Agricultural
- Advised a group of farmers in Hoddesdon on selling their land to a housing developer.
- Advised on the termination of an agricultural tenancy in Herefordshire.
- Advised on a nuisance claim for run-off from a farm across a newly built estate.
- Advised on numerous telecoms code agreements on agricultural land.
- Advised on numerous electricity, water and telecoms wayleaves across agricultural land.
General
- Acted for the developer of prime real estate in the West End of London in a multimillion-pound completion claim.
- Acted for the developer of one of the UK’s largest mixed-use developments on the charging scheme for its combined heat and power scheme.
- Acted for a UK clearing bank on the re-gearing of its Canary Wharf campus and resolution of the connected multimillion-pound dilapidations and service charge dispute.
- Acted for one of the world’s largest tech companies, giving strategic and asset-management advice for its UK business continuity and data centre real estate portfolio.
- Acted for a major landed estate in a multimillion-pound dispute regarding restrictive covenants.
- Acted for 3C Waste Limited in the application of the landfill directive to an English law contract, reported in the case of 3C Waste Ltd v Mersey Waste Holdings Ltd & Anor [2006] EWHC 2598.
Recognition
Recognised in The Legal 500 for Real Estate: Property Litigation (2023-2024)
Recognised in The Legal 500 2024 for Construction
“Ed keeps his eye resolutely on the horizon and our end goal while being an absolute steely-eyed killer advocate for us.” The Legal 500 2024
“I found Ed to be a real lighthouse in the storm, sustaining us with confidence and good humour through a truly grim trial which we were successful in.” The Legal 500 2024
“Ed John is very good property litigator who fights tirelessly for his client.” The Legal 500 2024
Recognised in The Legal 500 2021 for Hospitality & Leisure
“Ed John is highly recommended for real estate disputes and contentious issues arising from distressed sales.” The Legal 500 2021
Career
Ed qualified as a solicitor in 1998. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2021, he worked at the following firms:
- Howard Kennedy
- Shoosmiths
- Hogan Lovells
- Jones Day
- Pritchard Englefield