Stephen Bickford-Smith

year of call: 1972

areas of law

Property

Practice Summary

Stephen specialises in property advisory and litigation work and dispute resolution and has appeared in many recent leading cases in these areas. He is also the author of standard texts on the law relating to Rights of Light and Party Walls. In dispute resolution he is a fully qualified and experienced arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator. He has made numerous awards and decisions, in property and construction matters and has also appeared as party-appointed advocate/representative in many arbitrations and adjudications. He is the immediate past chairman of the London branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Stephen's practice centres around Property Law, and Dispute Resolution including related professional negligence claims. He is recognised as a leading specialist in the law of party walls, easements, and rights to light and is noted for being a business-minded advocate, arbitrator and legal author. For more detail of recent work please click on the cases and publications links above.

Property Disputes

Stephen is recognised as a leading specialist in property disputes, particularly those relating to easements and party walls. The 2009 Legal 500 directory describes him as "a leading authority in party walls, rights of light, and easements". He appears regularly at first instance and appellate level in cases involving property disputes particularly relating to easements, but also involving party walls, boundary disputes, torts relating to land and landlord and tenant matters. For more detail click here.

Dispute Resolution

Stephen is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Chartered Arbitrator. He is also a practicing adjudicator, a qualified mediator and on the adjudication panels of TECBAR and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. In Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (HY) Ltd v Shepherd Construction Ltd decided in September 2009 the judge described Stephen as “a barrister well known in construction law circles”. He is regularly appointed as an arbitrator in disputes in the construction, property and professional services fields, including substantial construction and property disputes. For more detail please click here.

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QUALIFICATIONS

Stephen Bickford-Smith was a scholar of Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read Classics and Jurisprudence.

He is a Bencher of the Inner Temple, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and a Registered Chartered Arbitrator.

He is immediate past chairman of the London Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is a Member of the Panels of Arbitrators maintained by the Law Society, IDRS Limited, and TECBAR. He is a member of the panels of Adjudicators of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and TECBAR. He is a qualified mediatior and a member of the TECBAR mediation panel .He accepts mediations via the National Mediation Helpline.. Stephen is a member of TECBAR, the Property Bar Association, the Professional Negligence Bar Association, and the Chancery Bar Association. He is also a qualified ADR Group Accredited Mediator.

CASES

INQUIRIES

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