Profile description
Business and Property Litigation
- Property: unlawful forfeiture and relief from forfeiture; landlord and tenant (commercial and residential); easements/rights of way;
- Trusts and TOLATA;
- First-tier and Upper-tier Tribunals, including the Property Chamber and Tax Chamber;
- Directors disqualification;
- Contractual disputes;
- Licensing.
Before joining Chambers, Matthew worked at a leading commercial litigation firm in Toronto, Canada named Lenczner Slaght LLP. He advocated in and worked on cases including a high profile three-month inquest into the police shooting of three mentally-ill persons, to a defamation claim by Canadian businessmen against a newspaper in India and a claim against the Cuban government.
Matthew undertook a commercial (under Simon Goldberg) and crime pupillage (under Caroline Goodwin QC). Matthew was regularly instructed in criminal matters during pupillage. Matthew appeared in Courts across the country (including London) in cases ranging from complex frauds prosecuted by a QC, terrorism cases and large gang cases. Matthew developed a particular specialism in white collar crime.
Matthew regularly delivers CPD accredited seminars on commercial litigation, including most recently in a seminar entitled “I want to break free: relief from sanctions”.
Human Rights
Matthew has been appointed by the Attorney General to the Government’s Panel of Counsel. He receives regular instructions to represent government departments in cases of complexity and sensitivity.
Matthew has a wide range of experience in human rights law. Matthew has worked and advised on several significant cases both domestically and internally, including matters involving countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Cuba, Libya, Ukraine and Uganda. Matthew co-authored two book chapters that were published in authoritative texts by Oxford University Press and Palgrave Macmillan. Matthew’s human rights practice now focuses heavily on human rights claims against the government and actions against the Police (including unlawful detention), for which Matthew is able to draw on his expertise in criminal law. Matthew also handles death in custody cases.
Licensing
Matthew accepts instructions on all licensing matters, particularly relating to property, alcohol and firearms. Matthew appears in licensing matters before Tribunals, Magistrates' Courts and Crown Courts.