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Portrait ofNick Wood

Nick Wood

Partner

CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AF
United Kingdom
Languages English

Nick is a Partner in the Real Estate Dispute Resolution team. He has over 15 years' experience as a real estate litigator, dealing with landlord and tenant disputes and the entire remit of contentious property matters. Nick has acted for a wide range of clients, including REITs, property investment funds, receivers, public agencies, retail landlords and tenants, universities and property owners and developers. In particular, Nick has acted for Great Portland Estates plc, Land Securities, Hammerson, Capital & Counties, SEGRO, Columbia Threadneedle Property Investments, Glasgow City Council and Hermes.

Nick has also sat as a legal assessor to RICS appointed experts acting in valuation and land-based disputes. Nick regularly lectures on property litigation topics (recently speaking at the 2016 RICS Arbrix Annual Conference on the Arbitration Act 1996) and is a member of both the Property Litigation Association and RICS Dilapidations Forum.

Nick has advised, resolved and litigated on a variety of property-related disputes including opposed and unopposed business lease renewals, claims for forfeiture for tenant breach of covenant, break notices and their validity, interim and terminal dilapidations, tenant related insolvency and applications for leave of the court to forfeit (in the context of various insolvency regimes), possession claims, rectification disputes, advising on ability to withhold consent to alienate, rent review and service charge disputes, right of way and boundary disputes, derogation from grant and breach of quiet enjoyment covenant claims, various contractual disputes arising from property transactions and advising generally on tenant default and landlord enforcement options.

In particular, Nick has experience in acting on major redevelopment projects and in providing strategic land and site assembly advice to developers (and other key stakeholders). Nick has acted on many landmark schemes throughout the country including central London schemes as well as developments from Southampton to Newcastle. Frequently, these projects also involve planning related issues, including compulsory purchase, section 203 issues and judicial review.

Quotes from directories (Chambers, Legal 500, JUVE, etc.) or client feedback

"A real star of the future, very commercial and personable." Chambers & Partners

Nick won the ILO Lexology 2015 Real Estate Client Service Award and is ranked as a real estate litigator by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. The Legal 500 2016 commented that Nick was “hardworking, dedicated and enthusiastic”.

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Relevant experience

  • Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Limited -v- New River Trustee II Ltd (2015), a major Irish retailer in proceedings concerning the proposed redevelopment of a major Belfast shopping centre (with Anneliese Day QC). This involved numerous court appearances including a hearing before the Court of Appeal and a 5 day trial listing
  • Best Beat Ltd (In Liquidation) -v- Mourant & Co Trustees Ltd (2008) Chancery Division in successful defence of claimant's application for specific performance of a property sale contract (with John Male QC)
  • Century Projects -v- Almacantar Centrepoint Ltd & Ors (2014) on injunctive and damages proceedings concerning claims in derogation from grant and quiet enjoyment arising out of development of iconic West End building (with Jonathan Gaunt QC)
  • Aviva Life & Pensions -v- Kestrel Properties Limited (2011) Chancery Division on a major overage dispute and proceedings concerned question over the jurisdiction of the court to intervene in an expert determination (with John Male QC).
  • A client on the property aspects of a $145 million dispute concerning a new business venture in one of the Caribbean Islands. This involved derogation from grant, breach of restrictive covenant and nuisance claims. One central issue was the quantification of damages in lieu of an injunction and so-called Wrotham Park compensation awards;
  • An international natural resource exploitation company on an occupier exit strategy for a major UK site, involving dispute over lease break conditions, dilapidations, yielding-up and section 18 valuation issues;
  • A client on formulating and implementing a vacant possession strategy for major redevelopment scheme with numerous opposed lease renewal claims and a judicial review of related planning consent;
  • A client on insolvency of a head tenant, with major dispute as to directors' duties and potential fraudulent transactions in respect of the insolvent company, involving forensic accounting expert evidence;
  • A client on a dispute over circa £2m dilapidations claim with a significant section 18 LTA 1927 dispute;
  • A client on a construction and rectification dispute concerning a settlement agreement arising out of a break option dispute.
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Education

  • 2000 LL.B (Hons) European Languages and Law Bristol  
  • Graduation year - Qualification, Institution, City
  • Graduation year - Qualification, Institution, City
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Feed

18/03/2022
Update on the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022 (the “Act”)
The draft Bill passed its third reading in the House of Lords on Tuesday, with the House of Commons due to consider the final (clarificatory) amendment in session on 23 March 2022. Accordingly, the...
10/11/2021
Covid Rent Arrears
The Government has finally announced its proposals for dealing with Covid Rent Arrears in its Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill. The Bill will now be subject to the usual parliamentary scrutiny and...
02/09/2021
Nuances of nuisance addressed by the Court
In Jones v Ministry of Defence, the claimants’ aspirations of developing a holiday park on a plot of land near to an RAF airfield failed. As the “bucolic tranquillity” of the area had been interfered...
07/04/2021
Commercial Rent Collection and Covid-19: Government’s call for evidence...
The temporary restrictions on landlords’ rights to take action against their commercial tenants for non-payment of rents, imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are due to expire on 30 June 2021. These...
21/10/2019
Statement of Agreed Facts in development valuation dispute: "to bind or...
The Court of Appeal has just handed down its Judgment in the Crest Nicholson and Great Dunmow dispute, which was first before the courts in summer 2018 (Great Dunmow Estates Ltd v Crest Nicholson Operations...
24/06/2016
To develop or not to develop?
This article was produced by Nabarro LLP, which joined CMS on 1 May 2017. A recent High Court case (Timothy Taylor Ltd v Mayfair House Corporation [2016]) has provided a useful opportunity for the courts...