Call:1997
Qualifications: BA (Hons)
Practice Teams
Asset Recovery
Civil and Commerical
Property
Piers Harrison Print CV
Profile
Property
Property practice covers all the usual areas of property law and clients include property development companies, local authorities, government agencies and private companies and individuals.
Property development
Experienced in working with property developers in relation to high cost developments. Many of the cases on which he advises never reach the court, however to give an overview of his practice please see “Representative Cases” list below. The case names have been fictionalized to preserve client confidentiality. References are available from the solicitors involved in the cases mentioned below.
Leasehold Enfranchisement
Editor of the leasehold enfranchisement section of the well-respected PropertyLawUK website (http://www.propertylawuk.net) and also maintains a monthly e-mail update specifically focusing on leasehold enfranchisement. E-mail him at piersharrison@33bedfordrow.co.uk to be put on the contact list. Appeared in Penman v Upavon Enterprises (2001) EWCA Civ 956; LTL 13/6/2001 (Court Of Appeal) (Court’s Jurisdiction to make a vesting order where the matter had previously been before the LVT).
Commercial Landlord and Tenant
Often instructed on behalf of both landlords and tenants where complications arise in relation to commercial leases or lease renewals under the LTA 1954, for example advising on defective notices, waiver, dilapidations, improvements, rent review etc.
Asset Recovery
Receives instructions from main asset recovery agencies in the UK including H.M.Revenue and Customs and the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA). ARA work is carried out in the High Court and civil recovery cases often raise important, novel, points of law and complex property law issues where Piers can also provide assistance as outlined elsewhere on this page.
Sport Law
Advised on management and sponsorship agreements in several sports including football, boxing and snooker. Undertaken cases in front of the Football League Disciplinary Committee, the Football League Appeal Committee and the Stewards of the British Show Jumping Association.
Representative Cases
Property / Property Development
X co. v Y Homes Ltd – X Ltd owned a road over which Y Homes Ltd needed access to build several hundred flats. Y originally operated a heliport and industrial buildings from the site. Y had a right of way over X’s road but it was subject to several restrictions such as that vehicles must obey a speed limit and travel in one direction. Y claimed to be able to develop the land whilst observing the restrictions and refused to pay a premium to remove the restrictions. Piers worked in a close team with X’s solicitors, surveyor and planning consultants to convince Y that it could not develop the land without X’s co-operation. The case was resolved without having to resort to injunctive relief (with the attendant worry of a cross undertaking in damages) and resulted in Y paying a large sum to X.
A Homes Limited v B Development Ltd – X was interested in purchasing land from Y in order to build homes. The land being bought comprised many plots and was subject to a bewildering number of rights of way contained in a number of conveyances. Piers provided X’s solicitors with an opinion on the right of way situation which showed that most of them had been extinguished.
Sport Law
Re X – represented the captain of a Football League club in a conduct/disrepute case. The player had been banned by the FDC for 4 matches – Piers was asked to draft grounds of appeal. As a result of the appeal the matter was settled amicably without further hearing.
Re Y – represented a club who dismissed a player for criticizing the manager in the press. Piers represented the club in front of the FDC and the FLAC and advised on Judicial Review of FLAC’s decision. Piers advised that the composition of the FLAC was seriously flawed as the PFA not only represented the player but also appointed a representative to sit on the committee. The league was advised of the club’s concerns about the fairness of the committee and although the case never went to judicial review the rules concerning the composition of the committee were changed before the start of the next season.
Re Z – working as a team with another barrister Piers represented a promising show jumper and her aunt who had been charged with excessive use of the whip and misconduct to a judge respectively. Piers appeared in front of the Stewards and advised on routes of appeal.
Asset Recovery
Director of the Assets Recovery Agency v John Szepietowski and others [2006] EWHC 2406 (Admin) – powers of an interim receiver appointed under POCA 2002.