Michael Ranson

Michael Ranson is an experienced real estate lawyer who first qualified as a solicitor in 2004 before transferring to the Bar in 2019.  Prior to joining Falcon Chambers he was a partner at Macfarlanes LLP, specialising in property work. 

Michael accepts instructions across a broad range of contentious and non-contentious real estate work, and frequently appears led and un-led in the High Court, county court, Upper Tribunal and First-tier Tribunal. 

Some of Michael’s recent cases have related to the following areas:

• landlord and tenant disputes involving both residential and commercial property, including Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, service charges, dilapidations, right of first refusal, enfranchisement and lease extensions;
• disputes concerning the interpretation of leases, contracts and other property documents;
• professional negligence, particularly on the part of conveyancing solicitors;
• proprietary estoppel and unjust enrichment;
• restrictive covenants, easements and boundary disputes;
• nuisance; and
• land registration issues.

Recent court or tribunal appearances include:

• acting, alongside Caroline Shea KC, for the defendants in an eight-day High Court proprietary estoppel and unjust enrichment trial;
• a High Court claim for a property developer to recover an unpaid deposit from a prospective purchaser, which raised novel Coronavirus arguments;
• an appeal concerning the interrelationship between payment of court fees and expiry of limitation periods;
• appearing for the owner of a central London penthouse apartment in a multi-day trial against both her downstairs neighbour and her landlord concerning escape of water in the building;
• representing a national pub chain in litigation concerning terms pub tenants argued should be implied into its leases;
• appearing for a landlord in a four-day trial against leading counsel to resist the appointment of a manager over prime central London residential property;
• representing a nationwide mortgage lender in a multi-day trial concerning redemption of a charge;
• resisting an application in the First-tier Tribunal Property Chamber (Land Registration) for registration of a vehicular right of way over residential property;
• obtaining an urgent High Court freezing injunction over service charge bank accounts;
• appearing for the tenant in a contested 1954 Act lease renewal where the tenant and landlord were associated charitable entities; and
• representing a local authority in a claim concerning the validity of various Community Infrastructure Levy demands.

Michael also acts as an arbitrator and is a case reviewer for Advocate, the Bar's national pro bono charity.

• Education

  LLB Law (hons) – University of Bristol (1997-2000)

• Professional
  • Member of the Chancery Bar Association, Property Bar Association and the London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association
  • 2004 - 2019: Solicitor (and from 2012 partner) at Macfarlanes LLP
  • 2018: Higher rights of audience in civil matters
  • 2003: Court of Appeal judicial assistant to the head of the Chancery Division, Lord Justice Morritt