Lloyd Sefton-Smith
Call
Called 1993
Practice groups
Education
Postgraduate Diploma in Law, Westminster University
BA University College London (Assyriology, Egyptology, Classical Archaeology)
Colfox Comprehensive, Bridport
Practice
Property
- Residential property: regularly instructed on behalf of housing authorities, housing associations and other social landlords (including fully mutual co-operatives) as well as by private landlords, tenants, licensees and other occupiers. Areas of practice include nuisance and anti-social behaviour, disrepair, housing management and homelessness.
- other areas of real property work:
- defective conveyancing
- easements and boundary disputes
- disputes following auction purchases
- issues regarding title and HM Land Registry rectification
- disputes between co-owners and other claims in property (including constructive and resulting trusts, proprietary estoppels and claims arising under wills)
Commercial
- Contractual and commercial disputes, partnership, insolvency, insurance and subrogation claims
- Fraud
- Consumer Credit problems
- Construction and building disputes
- Claims involving the manufacture, supply and maintenance of computer hardware and software, and internet disputes.
Personal Injury
- Acting primarily for Defendant insurers in road traffic accidents, employers' and occupiers' liability claims and, in particular, accidents involving complex engineering, construction and project management issues.
Ancillary areas include
- Professional Negligence against solicitors, engineers and architects.
- Planning and planning enforcement
- Contested wills
Experience
A broad range of advising, drafting and advocacy work including appearances in the High Court, County Courts and Coroners' Court. Cases range...
...from the huge (advising a local authority on the conveyancing aspects of a >£40m stock transfer agreement) to the tiny (conducting a successful on-site mediation between two neighbours regarding a 4" strip of driveway).
...from the non-contentious (advising a London Borough on governance issues and drawing up housing management policies) to the highly contentious (including various cases where parties and witnesses have cried, shouted, thrown items across the court room and had their files referred to the DPP by the judge).
Although primarily a court advocate, a number of successful mediations have been achieved.
Membership
Social Housing Lawyers Association (founding member)
Personal Injury Bar Association
Forum of Insurance Lawyers
Society of Computers & Law
Interests
Mathematics, liturgical music and Wagner, medieval history, trees and mountains, Southern France (and all that entails)
