Fred Leader

Fred is an Associate in the Property Litigation team.

He has a broad litigation practice, and has advised on contentious matters concerning real estate fraud, insolvency, joint ventures, trespass, development, rights to light, and commercial asset management (e.g., arrears recovery, dilapidations disputes, forfeiture, and lease renewals).

Fred works closely with clients to protect their interests and is equally at home safeguarding the rights of developers and commercial landlords as he is those of private individuals and corporate occupiers.

He has recently acted:

• for a major private equity investment firm on a property claim valued at over £130 million, which raised complex issues of fraud, insolvency and the application of the Land Registration Act 2002, and involved hotly contested applications for injunctive and interim relief;
• for the claimant landlord in the combined cases of Fantasio Limited -v- Curzon Cinemas Limited and Fantasio Limited -v- Curzon Restaurant & Bar Limited, one of the Lawyer's Top 20 Cases of 2025;
• for a super high-end manufacturer/retailer on a dispute against its landlord in relation to leaks at its prime London premises. The case raises complex issues of liability and quantum, and has been initially valued at over £100 million;
• for a major private investment firm in relation to a data centre power supply dispute, with potential losses in the region of £17 million;
• on a 1954 Act appeal relating to a high value London office premises, which raised novel issues regarding the application of ground (b), and generated significant satellite litigation regarding forfeiture, relief from forfeiture, and insolvency;
• for an ultra-high net worth individual on a party wall claim against a major London club operator valued at over £2 million, in relation to residential property worth almost £20 million;
• for a global investment firm on a major Joint Venture dispute;
• for a range of major landowners and tenants in relation to their UK portfolios, including Brookfield, Shaftesbury Capital, AEW and UBS.

Fred is also a member of the Property Litigation Association and the London Solicitors Litigation Association, and he sits on the committee of the Junior Property Litigation Association.