Marissa Lawrence is an Associate Solicitor at the firm’s Baker Street office. She is part of the Litigation Team, recognised by the Legal 500 as being a “technically minded, very responsive and strategic team”.
Marissa is experienced in a wide variety of disputes in Property Litigation including lease extensions, possession proceedings, disputes concerning Rent Act tenants and disrepair, defects, and various other landlord and tenant disputes for both residential and commercial property. Her residential property experience also includes assisting in a large Right of First Refusal case with 62 participating leaseholders and dealing with urgent applications for suspension of warrants. Marissa was also involved in the successful possession action obtaining 56 possession orders against a number of tenants for a number of commercial landlords, and the subsequent enforcement action against the defendants.
Marissa has a particular specialism in Litigation relating to residential property, with a focus on possession proceedings, disrepair, and other residential landlord and tenant disputes. Recently, Marissa has been successful in the Central London County Court in a 4-day trial in obtaining a possession order and substantial arrears against an assured tenant claiming disrepair and invalid rent increases. Marissa was successful in having the entire defence and counterclaim dismissed, and was awarded possession, payment of the rent arrears along with her client’s legal costs.
Marissa has also gained experience in Commercial Litigation, including the successful resolution of a number of commercial contract claims, misrepresentation, unfair prejudice petitions, copyright and trademark infringement, and debt recovery/insolvency.
Marissa was also part of the team that had success in the Court of Appeal when representing Bloomsbury Institute Limited, a higher education provider, in their judicial review of the Office for Students and their decision to refuse registration to Bloomsbury Institute. Marissa has since been involved in numerous other cases in the Higher Education sector.
Expertise:
Education:
- Successfully challenging a decision by the Office for Students by judicial review. Reported – R(on application of Bloomsbury Institute Limited) -v- Office for Students [2020] EWCA Civ 1074
Property Litigation:
- Successfully obtained possession order, money judgment and legal costs against legal aid defendant whose entire defence and counterclaim was dismissed, after the parties had been engaged in litigation for more than 4 years.
- Successfully obtained possession order and money judgment and costs against the tenant in the value of more than £70,000. Following the possession hearing, Marissa successfully had the defendant’s urgent application for an injunction to prevent their bailiff eviction struck out and labelled as ‘entirely without merit’. Legal costs were also awarded to Marissa’s client on an indemnity basis.
- Assisted in a case involving the revesting of a property valued in excess of £2.5 million to a dissolved SPV incorporated in the Isle of Man
- Assisted on a case involving advising a property development company in respect of the grant of wayleaves and compulsory purchase orders in respect of a hotel development valued at £250million+.
- Assisted in a case successfully obtaining 56 possession orders involving 9 separate parties under a single claim.
- Assisting in right of first refusal case involving 62 participating leaseholders, with the outgoing freeholder in liquidation.
Commercial Litigation:
- Assisting with unfair prejudice petition for £1.6 million +
- Acting for Creditors in winding up petitions, including drafting and submitting Proof of Debt for multiple creditors arising from multi-party disputes for debt in excess of £1 million.
- Acted for two hotels and a parent company in a contractual dispute with a value in excess of £150,000.
Publications:
Celebrating Success: Law Firm Secures Client’s Registration with the Office for Students
Keeping up with the Law: Latest Legal Developments for Landlords and Managing Agents
Successful Termination of an Assured Tenancy
Marissa Lawrence
Associate Solicitor
