Michael Tetstall

Areas of expertise

• Commercial litigation

  Commercial litigation

  Michael undertakes a range of commercial work across chambers’ areas of expertise. He has experience of a broad range of work including contractual disputes, insurance coverage and subrogated claims, insolvency work and company law claims.

  He is an experienced court advocate and has also acted in a variety of ADR processes, including mediation and adjudication.

  Related work:

  • Working as part of the legal team in support of a £150m claim in the Chancery Division.
  • Advising a developer on an application for disclosure of insurance position.
  • Acting for a communications company in a dispute regarding the purchase of telecommunication service contracts.
  • Advising and acting for SMEs in contractual disputes.
  • Acting for a hire-purchase company defending claims from customers.
  • Assisting senior counsel in partnership disputes.
  • Acting for creditors in insolvency proceedings.
• Professional liability

  Professional liability

  Michael has a busy professional liability practice, acting for both claimants and defendants in a range of sectors. He has particular experience in matters relating to solicitors, financial advisers and surveyors.

  Michael has previously undertaken a secondment in the professional negligence department of a law firm. Through this experience, he gained valuable insight into the needs of client firms and how best to be able to assist as counsel.

  Related work:

  • Acting for claimants in a variety of claims against solicitors, in areas including negligent conveyancing and conduct of litigation.
  • Acting for claimants and defendants in relation to claims against surveyors.
  • Acting for claimants in a dispute relating to the Icebreaker partnership scheme.
  • Acting for insurers in relation to solicitors negligence claims.
  • Acting in claims for and against architects for defective building designs.
• Property
  • Commercial landlord & tenant

    Commercial landlord & tenant

    Michael has a broad property practice with a focus on commercial property disputes.

    Michael acts for both commercial landlords and tenants. He has experience of forfeiture claims and contractual disputes as well as assisting with a wide variety of commercial property matters.

    Related work:

    • Successfully representing a commercial landlord in a dispute over insurance rent.
    • Advising a commercial tenant on a rent abatement claim.
    • Advising and acting in successful claim for rent arrears in a claim resisted on the basis of a limitation defence.
  • Housing (social & privately rented)

    Housing (social & privately rented)

    Michael acts for both landlords and tenants in residential property matters. He is regularly instructed by private landlords, housing associations and local authorities.

    He also has experience of anti-social behaviour claims by housing associations.

    Related work:

    • Acting for local authorities and housing associations in service charge disputes.
    • Acting for private landlords, housing associations and local authorities in possession proceedings.
    • Drafting pleadings for housing associations in disrepair claims.
  • Leasehold & leasehold management

    Leasehold & leasehold management

    Michael has significant experience in the issues relating to long leases such as enfranchisement, service charge disputes and forfeiture, in the FTT and courts.

    Recent work:

    • Acting for local authorities and housing associations in service charge disputes.
    • Advising and acting in successful claim for rent arrears in a claim resisted on the basis of a limitation defence.
    • Advising on recovery of rent arrears under a disputed rent review clause of a retail premises.
    • Acting for leaseholders and freeholders in service charge disputes in the FTT.
  • Real property & mortgages

    Real property & mortgages

    Michael handles a number of real property and mortgage disputes as part of his property practice. He is particular recent experience in relation to rights of way and boundary disputes.

    Recent work:

    • Advising on a right of way in a proposed claim against a housing developer.
    • Advising in relation to easements that affect neighbouring residential properties.
    • Boundary disputes, including recently being led in an appeal in the High Court regarding unclear lease plans in Van Zyl & Anor v Walker-Smith [2025] EWHC 136.
    • Advising in relation to the assignment of a legal charge over a property.
    • Advising a commercial tenant on a rent abatement claim.
• Mediation

  Mediation

  Michael is an experienced mediator and has previously conducted mediations in Australia. He is accredited with ADR ODR International and was NMAS-accredited in Australia.

  Michael has experience of mediating in person and remotely. He has mediated online, via Teams and Zoom, and even by telephone conference call. He is flexible and accommodating to the needs of parties and is happy to travel for mediations.

  Related work:

  • Mediating a multi-party professional liability dispute regarding design of balconies on an apartment building.
  • Assisting John de Waal KC in the mediation of a leasehold dispute relating to enfranchisement and granting of new leases for a high value central London property.