I qualified as a barrister in 1977, and have practised both as a barrister and solicitor. That gives me a distinct advantage when advising my clients, since I have the expertise of counsel but also hands-on, practical experience of guiding clients through their legal problems.
I have much experience advising on property and housing cases, including complex boundary disputes. In my experience, real property rights concerning land and buildings are extremely important for both individuals and companies. Such rights often involve major assets of a company or an individual. That is why it is very important to get expert legal advice and representation, which I am able to provide.
I take on cases both large and small, and have represented clients in all types of tribunal and at all court levels from County Court up to the Court of Appeal.
My approach
With nearly four decades of practice under my belt, I offer my clients a wealth of experience. I will always offer practical advice and help my clients to find the right solution to their legal problem. I am dynamic and forward-thinking.
I respond promptly to instructions. I am very approachable and establish a good rapport with my clients which then forms a foundation to our professional relationship. I am told by many clients that I take the stress out of legal problems, since I always focus on finding a pragmatic solution that will be in my client’s best interests.
Costs: After the initial consultation, I will be able to let you know what my charges will be for taking on your case. I am efficient and do not waste time unnecessarily and so I am confident that you will receive good value from me as your counsel.
My work
I have much experience of advising clients on complex conveyancing and property law disputes and have undertaken many cases (usually in the Chancery Division or County Court), including:
* cases involving hotly contested disputes over property ownership and boundaries.
* cases involving difficult questions over easements (such as rights of way and rights of light) between neighbouring properties (both residential and commercial).
* cases involving “adverse possession” claims and their effect on property ownership.
* cases concerning allegations of forged and fabricated documents such as Wills and Codicils, property transfers, assignments of rights and Powers of Attorney (sometimes in the context of contested ownership claims after the death of a individual).
* nuisance claims, in which I have acted both for claimants and defendants.
Case study
I successfully helped protect the interests of my client, Ms Sheikh, in a property to which she claimed ownership. This was part of some highly complex property and conveyancing litigation, in which a company, Red River (UK), attempted to force Ms Sheikh to remove or withdraw restrictions against a sale taking place that had been previously registered at HM Land Registry and which she wished to keep in full force and effect to protect her legitimate interests. She did not stand to gain from lifting the restrictions and the Court found that she was within her rights to maintain her position as I had argued.
About me
I have practised both as a barrister and as a solicitor. I am also an arbitrator and mediator. I have all-round practical experience of dispute resolution, and, in my time, have advised on many thousands of disputes.
What my clients say
"Mr Newman took over representing me in my litigation last year in January and is still leading me through this very complex case. He is an exceptional individual, which is unfortunately really rare to find these days. His knowledge, correct and careful assessment of facts and his approach to strategy and dealings are unique and incomparable in quality to anything I came across prior meeting Mr Newman. His experience and professionalism speaking loudly behind his every action is of immeasurable value. At every stage of my complex case he has dealt with all aspects in a calm, very professional and effective manner. My case relates to a dispute between me as a long leaseholder and an unscrupulous freeholder and upper floor leaseholder of the property in which I own the ground floor flat jointly with my ex husband. The dispute has been shamelessly manipulated by the freeholder and upper flat leaseholder and is a battle on many fronts. I can definitely recommend Mr Newman and his particular skills. He is exceptional in many ways and I certainly, after over a year of having pleasure working with him, can say that I confidently follow his guidance which I have come to trust implicitly.“ - Anna P
"My son and I were introduced to Philip after getting in touch with myBarrister when we decided to sue a dishonest letting agent who was under declaring rent. In all my years of dealing in litigation I have never met a barrister as honest and as trustworthy as Philip. Philip’s impeccable attention to detail and his vast wealth of experience and knowledge make for an unbeatable combination. It has been such a pleasure working with Philip, he makes us feel very comfortabe and I don’t think we could be in better hands.” - George I.
"I instructed Philip Newman approximately one year ago under direct access. I run an energy brokerage and became involved in High Court Litigation with a former employer. Philip’s depth of commercial litigation experience has helped us to deal with this case as litigants in person saving on costs and he has now put us on a winning track. I would highly recommend Philip.” – Mark, company director
“Philip is experienced, well prepared and thorough. His attention to detail is superb and he works well as a team, and enjoys spending the necessary time with clients in order to gain an understanding of the case. Philip acted for us in a number of hearings and has drafted various strong skeleton arguments to support our case. Philip is well known in the industry and has vast knowledge of the law and gets things done.” – Mr G, a company director from Essex who gained a judgment in a commercial property dispute for over £100 million."
“Philip immediately proved to be very approachable and understanding of our mental health and financial challenges as well as the pressing legal action we were defending as litigants in person.
Philip possesses the skills mix to quickly comprehend the pertinent issues in a complex property case involving a number of factors and parties.
Philip was appointed by ourselves following a warning and significant costs order from the Judge to get proper legal advice! He immediately supported us without criticism of our previously ill conceived prior actions without judgement.
He introduced us to experts such as a forensic accountant and a insolvency practitioner so we could fully understand all aspects and potential outcomes and options regarding our case.
Philip works at a fast pace in a clear and concise manner but he is not averse to being personally challenged or challenging his clients to achieve a workable and pragmatic outcome. He possesses a very dry sense of humour and engaging demeanour that helped to support and motivate us whenever we encountered setbacks and unexpected challenges.
In a Court hearing and at mediation sessions ( the latter conducted twice via zoom due to Covid ) Philip demonstrated his deference and diplomacy whilst skilfully dismantling the arguments of the other side to win us Indemnity costs. This is very unusual and a testament to Philip’s professional skills.
In conclusion we would not hesitate to recommend Philip Newman for a similar property related case.
Mr & Mrs E."
Professional & academic
Professional Negligence Bar Association
Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Accredited Mediator with The Academy of Experts and the ADR Group
LLB (Lond) Hons 1976
LLM (Lond) (1978)
University of London Convocation Prize winner for best performance in the LLM for 1978
Called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in addition to that of England & Wales