Ranjeet Johal is a partner and head of our Litigation team.
Ranjeet acts for both businesses and individuals and is able to provide advice across a broad spectrum of legal areas. He deals with all practice areas, with a particular focus on Real Estate Litigation, Landlord and Tenant Litigation and Business Disputes.
Ranjeet is a Solicitor Advocate (Higher Courts Civil Proceedings) and regularly appears before Judges in the High Court, County Court and First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
Areas of expertise
Ranjeet is comfortable advising both commercial and private clients on landlord and tenant issues (both relating to residential and commercial leases). He has particular experience acting for owners of large residential blocks, giving advice on breaches of leases, forfeiture claims, applications to appoint a manger, service charge disputes, right to manage claims and lease extensions. Ranjeet is also able to advise on matters arising from commercial leases including rent arears, forfeiture, rent reviews, renewal of business tenancies and dilapidations claims.
Ranjeet is able to advise on a broad range of property matters including real property issues, trusts, enfranchisement and land registration issues.
Recent cases include:
- R v Persons Unknown [2018] (High Court, Companies and Insolvency List): claim for possession of a property including issues of beneficial ownership and fraud and rectification of the company register.
- Khan v Anand [2016] (unreported CLCC): 5 day trial on the issue of the assignment of a commercial lease pursuant to a business agreement coupled with forfeiture and rent arrears.
- Khan v Anand [2017] (High Court, Chancery Division): application to set aside stay on enforcement of judgment pending appeal and resisting an application for relief from sanctions.
- A v B [2017] (First-tier Tribunal): 1 day trial concerning adverse possession of a strip of land separating two properties and rights of way.
- TK v MC [2017] (First-tier Tribunal): 2 day trial resisting the appointment of a manager under s.24 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987.
- C v R [2017] (First-tier Tribunal): 1 day trial for breach of covenant relating to the sub-letting of a residential property and issues arising from the grant of a new lease.
Ranjeet acts on a range of partnership, LLP and company matters, with a particular focus on unfair prejudice petitions and dissolution of partnerships.
Recent cases include:
- J v M [2018] (High Court, Business List): acting for a partnership in a claim by former partner seeking the return of the balance standing in his capital account.
- R v P [2017] (CLCC): claim for a declaration as to the existence of a partnership and the terms of the same, a declaration that the partnership has been dissolved and for an equitable account.
- Popat v Khawaja [2016] EWCA Civ 362: opposing an appeal of a committal order.
- Popat v Khawaja [2015] EWHC 2481 (Ch): partnership and shareholder dispute, obtaining an injunction to prevent the owner of the business from interfering with the same and to allow the petitioner to take over the business pending trial.
- S v M [2010] (High Court, Chancery Division): acting for the petitioner in a section 994 petition brought following mismanagement and prejudicial treatment.
Ranjeet has a great deal of experience acting for a diverse range of clients on commercial and civil litigation matters in both the High Court and the County Court. This experience includes professional negligence claims, acting for both claimants and defendants on a range of matters consisting of claims against solicitors, barristers, architects, accountants and estate agents.
Ranjeet’s experience includes not only interlocutory applications and trials, but also appeals.
Recent work includes:
- Acting for an estate agent in a claim brought by a former client for professional negligence.
- Representing a client in a family dispute seek to assert a beneficial interest in multiple properties, which ultimately settled just before trial.
- Acting for a company in its dispute with HMRC. Work involved dealing with a winding up petition served by HMRC, obtaining a validation order and making an application to the Tax Tribunal.
- United Vending Limited v Desai [2011] EWHC 919 (QB): Successfully defending a claim involving issues of assignment, administration and bailment.
Ranjeet has a wide range of experience in dealing with all aspects of litigation involving estates and trusts, with a particular focus on claims made under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
Recent work includes:
- Bringing a claim under the 1975 Act for a cohabitee where sufficient financial provisions had not been made for her from the deceased’s estate.
- Acting for the executor of an estate in a claim brought by the wife of the deceased for provisions from his estate, notwithstanding that the estate was insolvent.
- Advising the executors of an estate in respect of a challenge to the validity of the will, a claim that the deceased did not have capacity to make the will and a potential claim under the 1975 Act.
- Advising the son of a deceased on bringing a claim under the 1975 Act after the expiry of the primary limitation period.
Alternative Dispute Resolution increasingly plays a key part in the litigation process, with clear unequivocal endorsements of the value of ADR by Judges. Ranjeet has a great deal of experience in mediating both factually and legally complicated legal matters.
Examples of mediations that Ranjeet has been involved with include:
- A partnership dispute between an LLP and a former partner as to the distribution of monies held in the former partner’s capital account.
- A dispute involving multiple members of a family, the separating of the family business, issues concerning forfeiture of a lease and allegations of fraud.
- A claim brought by a client against her former solicitor for negligence relating to the handling of her divorce.
- A claim brought against the estate of the deceased by her former live-in partner of 20 years for provisions from the estate.
For help or advice please get in touch:
Click here to email or call +44 (0)20 8909 0400.