Tom Weekes KC > Chambers of David Holland KC and Jenny Wigley KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
Landmark Chambers Offices
Landmark Chambers
180 FLEET STREET
LONDON
EC4A 2HG
England
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Tom Weekes KC
Position
Tom is a leading property silk.
His recent cases include Fearn v Tate Trustees [2023] 2 WLR 339 (succeeded in the Supreme Court in a groundbreaking case establishing that the Tate Gallery is liable in nuisance for operating a viewing gallery at Tate Modern enabling visitors to view neighbouring flats) and Bath Rugby Ltd v Greenwood [2023] 1 P&CR 6 (succeeded in the Court of Appeal in establishing that Bath Rugby’s ground is not subject to restrictive covenants capable of impeding the development of a new stadium).
Recommendations in the legal directories include:
- “…very driven and fantastic in submissions… and incredibly easy to work with.” and “…a deep thinker and strategist” (Chambers and Partners, 2024).
- “A very strong and competent KC who is a pleasure to work with.” (Legal 500, 2024).
- “…the person clients go to when they have a ridiculously complex case” (Chambers and Partners, 2023).
- “…undoubtedly one of the leading property barristers in the country” (Legal 500, 2023).
- “…a leading specialist in restrictive covenants…he is user-friendly and very bright” (Chambers and Partners, 2022).
- “Carving out a name as the primus inter pares for property development disputes” (Legal 500, 2020).
- “He is brilliant – very reactive, straightforward, practical and commercial” (Chambers and Partners, 2020).
Tom regularly appears in cases about the development of land. He advises developers at an early stage about private law impediments to developments. Tom has appeared in many leading cases about restrictive covenants: including cases about the enforceability and interpretation of covenants; applications under s.84(1) of the Law of Property Act 1925 (for discharge/modification); and in cases about whether consent has been unreasonably refused. As the co-author of Rights of Light: The Modern Law (Jordans, 2015, 3rd ed), Tom is a leading specialist in the field of rights of light. He has appeared in cases about whether developers have succeeded in exploiting drafting loopholes to avoid paying overage; in disputes about options; and in many cases about whether developers can escape from contracts to buy sites.
In relation to land ownership disputes, Tom has appeared in leading Court of Appeal cases about adverse possession and land registration.
In the field of commercial landlord and tenant litigation, Tom acts on lease renewals and in litigation about forfeiture, dilapidations, rent reviews and consents. He has appeared in many cases about whether tenants have satisfied break conditions. As the author of Property Notices (LexisNexis, 2021, 3rd ed), he regularly acts in cases about the service and validity of notices (including break notices).
Tom accepts instructions under the Public Access Scheme.
Education
Qualifications
- New College, Oxford (1992): First-Class Honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
- Tom taught economics for a year at Winchester College before studying law at City University.
Scholarships
- Tom was awarded scholarships by New College, City University and the Inner Temple.
Publications
- Rights of Light: The Modern Law (Jordans, 2015, 3rd ed)
- Property Notices (LexisNexis, 2021, 3rd ed)
Personal
Awards
- Shortlisted for the Legal 500 UK Bar Awards 2023 Property and Housing ‘Silk of the Year’
- Shortlisted for the Legal Business Awards 2023 ‘Barrister of the Year’
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Property litigation
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Tom Weekes KC –Landmark Chambers ‘A very strong and competent KC who is a pleasure to work with.’
Crossing over with the set’s expertise in planning and public law, Landmark Chambers have established themselves as a leading set across all aspects of property litigation including landlord and tenant and real estate disputes, as well as more niche areas such as telecommunications, protestor injunctions and village greens. Tom Weekes KC led Richard Moules KC in Fearn v Tate Trustees, a Supreme Court case in which the residents of a development of luxury flats were found to have been subjected to a nuisance by the viewing gallery on top of the Tate Modern’s Blavatnik Building. Simon Allison and Kimberley Ziya represented the successful appellant in FirstPort Property Services Limited v Settlers Court RTM in a landmark decision concerning the statutory right to manage blocks of flats. Timothy Morshead KC represented the energy company in Breen v Esso Petroleum, securing an injunction, and then the committal to prison for contempt of court of an individual who breached it by digging a tunnel in an attempt to stop the construction of the London Pipeline Project, based on economic torts rather than the law of nuisance or trespass. Justin Bates KC is notable for his residential property expertise – he is instructed for the residents in Global 100 v Jimenez, a case due to be heard by the Court of Appeal, after a “property guardianship” company was found by the tribunal to have run an unlicensed house of multiple occupation, therefore subjected to local authority fines and rent repayment orders.