Taylor Briggs

Taylor practises in all areas of real property and landlord and tenant law, both residential and commercial. In addition to her busy advisory practice, Taylor regularly appears in the County Court and First-tier Tribunal. She has also appeared in a number of cases before the Upper Tribunal and High Court.

Taylor’s recent cases have related to the following areas:

• Commercial landlord and tenant, including renewals under the 1954 Act, dilapidations, as well as forfeiture and other possession proceedings.
• Residential landlord and tenant, including possession proceedings, service charge disputes, and rights of first refusal
• Restrictive covenants
• Telecommunications
• Mortgages
• Proprietary estoppel
• Adverse possession, trespass, and boundary disputes
• The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 and the sanctions regimes made thereunder
• Agriculture

• Education
  • BCL, Brasenose College, University of Oxford – Distinction
  • BA Law, Peterhouse, University of Cambridge – Double First Class
  • College Prize (Brasenose – 2020)
  • 3 Verulam Buildings BCL Scholarship (University of Oxford – 2019)
  • Wilson Butler Prize for Law (Peterhouse – 2019)
  • De Montmorency Prize in Law (Peterhouse, University of Cambridge – 2018, 2019)
  • College Prize (Peterhouse – 2018, 2019)
  • Title of Senior Scholar in Law (Peterhouse – 2018, 2019)
  • Exhibition (Peterhouse – 2017)
• Professional
  • Bar Vocational Studies, City, University of London – Distinction (3rd in year)
  • Eldon Law Scholarship for the most promising Oxford graduate intending to practise at the Bar (University of Oxford – 2021)
  • Barstow Scholarship (City – 2021)
  • Buchanan Prize (Lincoln’s Inn – 2021)
  • Lord Denning Scholarship (Lincoln’s Inn – 2020)
• Publications

  Under (re)development NLJ 2024, 174 (8075), 11-12.

  Covenants: hostile to home working? NLJ 2023, 173 (8028), 11-12.

  Taylor is also a contributing editor for the book ‘Charging Orders on Land: Law, Practice and Precedents’ (2^nd edition, January 2024).

• Recent cases

  University of London v Harvie-Clark and others [2024] EWHC 2895 (Ch) Taylor, led by Kester Lees KC, acted for the successful Claimant. Mr Justice Thompsell granted a precautionary interim injunction restraining three named Defendants and persons unknown from undertaking various protest activities on land belonging to the University of London.

  Old Street Retail Trustee (Jersey) 1 Ltd and Old Street Retail Trustee (Jersey) 2 Ltd v Argos Ltd Taylor was led by Stephen Jourdan KC in a three-day High Court trial involving the construction of a covenant in commercial lease to use premises only for such non-food retail use within Class A1 of Use Classes Order as landlord shall approve – specifically, whether the retail tenant was permitted to sell goods both to visiting customers and those who order online for delivery elsewhere. The case settled after trial.

  EE Ltd v Snowdonia National Park Authority Taylor was briefed in the trial of an application under paragraph 20 of the Electronic Communications Code. The case settled mid-trial.

  Bank of Scotland plc v Tomlinson Taylor acted for the successful mortgagee in a two-day, multi-track trial before Her Honour Judge Brown sitting at Canterbury County Court. The claim for unlawful forfeiture raised various issues, including the scope and application of ss.166 and 167 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. 

  Barnard v Brandon & Others [2023] EWHC 3043 (Ch) Taylor, led by Cecily Crampin, acted for the successful Fourth Defendant. Both Taylor and Cecily appeared pro bono and were instructed via Advocate. The claim arose out of an order made on a previous fraudulent misrepresentation claim and involved issues of construction of court orders, trust law, mortgagee sale to self, and sale at an undervalue.

  In June 2023, Taylor was briefed as junior counsel, being led by Ciara Fairley, in a high value (£5m+) family farming proprietary estoppel dispute. The case, which was listed for a two-week trial with evidence from 33 lay witnesses and 5 expert witnesses, settled shortly before trial. 

  Khanna v 65 Priory Road Ltd Taylor acted for the successful freeholder in a two-day trial before the First-tier Tribunal (Residential Property) concerning the reasonableness of service charges over a seven-year period.