Andrew is a senior and highly-experienced silk specialising in real estate and related disputes; company/joint venture disputes; commercial and investment disputes; and claims involving professionals and service providers.
He appears in courts and tribunals at all levels, and acts as an arbitrator, legal expert and legal assessor, including in statutory arbitrations under the Pubs Code. He has engaged with public inquiries and Parliamentary committees, and has acted as an expert witness on English law and as an examiner under letters of request to the English courts.
Andrew is also a past Chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales.
He is known for his strong focus on clients’ commercial aims and concerns, and for his understanding of the different needs and demands of the alternatives to litigation. His approach is flexible, but will often involve early in-depth analysis; strategy formulation; navigating a range of dispute resolution options; and providing timely and incisive advice on key issues arising in a dispute or potential transaction.
His caseload covers a wide range of business sectors, particularly investment and development, finance, hotel and leisure, retail, transport, infrastructure, utilities, auctioneers, agency, the retirement/care sector, housing, education, trade and distribution, telecoms and IT.
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Expertise
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Real Estate
Andrew is instructed in substantial or complex property disputes of every type in relation to all types of real estate and in all sectors, and provides advisory support in relation to transactions relating to property.
He also acts in property-related disputes concerning corporate, partnership and other joint venture arrangements; finance; development; valuation; insolvency; fraud; asset recovery; and disposals and acquisitions.
Recent work has included:
- Development and planning promotion disputes relating to greenfield, brownfield and urban sites/proposals
- Enforcement of options
- Company shareholder / joint venture / LLP disputes in the property sector
- Utility rights over development land
- Rights of way (including the recent substantial litigation in South Tees Development Corp & Anor v PD Teesport Ltd [2024] EWHC 214 (Ch) (also [2023] EWHC 2229 (Ch), [2023] EWHC 2270 (Ch), [2023] EWHC 2787 (Ch), [2024] EWHC 842 (Ch)))
- Variations to land rights
- Present and future leasehold issues affecting the retirement living sector
- The impact of planning and highways infrastructure proposals
- Land valuation
- Complex and unusual commercial dilapidations claims
- Commercial and residential leasehold disputes
- Applications for landlord’s consent
- Ownership and adverse possession
- Leasehold enfranchisement in prime central London
- Arbitrations under the Pubs Code (as both arbitrator and legal assessor)
- Restrictive covenant disputes, investigations, and related planning issues
- Misrepresentation
- Land registration
- Tower block cladding
- Riverside rights
- Rating
- Compulsory purchase
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Commercial Litigation & Arbitration
Andrew deals with general commercial and investment disputes in a wide range of business sectors, including property investment and development, loan and equity finance, hotel and leisure, retail, transport, infrastructure, utilities, auctioneers, agency, care homes, housing, education, UK and international trade and distribution, telecoms and IT.
He also has specific expertise in disputes focusing on asset values: e.g. property assets, financial assets, investment portfolios, companies, shareholdings, businesses, pension funds, and art works.
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Professional Negligence
Andrew acts in claims of all types (including negligence, fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty) against professionals (non-medical) and commercial service providers.
His wide-ranging expertise includes claims for and against solicitors, barristers, surveyors, property valuers, actuaries, auctioneers/art valuers, pension consultants, personal and corporate tax advisors, and financial advisors/intermediaries.
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Company & Partnership
Andrew’s recent work has included claims relating to property joint ventures, contentious directorship appointments, receiverships and asset recovery, and duties arising on own-share acquisitions.
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Civil Fraud
Andrew is instructed to act in cases involving civil fraud linked to his other areas of expertise, particularly where property/financial assets or professionals are involved.
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Insolvency & Asset Recovery
Andrew is instructed to act in cases involving contentious insolvency and asset recovery linked to his other areas of expertise, particularly in the property and property finance sector.
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Banking & Financial Services
Andrew is instructed to act in cases involving financial professionals and financial services, particularly in the area of real estate finance.
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ADR
Andrew has a wide range of experience as an advocate and advisor in mediations, arbitrations and expert determinations, and understands the different needs and demands of these ADR processes.
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Directory Quotes
CHAMBERS UK REAL ESTATE LITIGATION (2024)
"His expertise in finding a way forward on difficult legal issues is never-ending."
CHAMBERS UK REAL ESTATE LITIGATION (2024)
"A top property litigation. Extremely good in terms of analysis and advocacy."
CHAMBERS UK AGRICULTURE & RURAL AFFAIRS (2024)
"Andrew Walker is forensic and exceptional when it comes to the law. He manages to pull everything together so his take on things aligns with the right commercial approach."