Karl King

Call:1985

Introduction and Contact details

Karl’s practice, both advocacy and advisory, has centred principally on property based work and has seen him handling cases  in the areas of real property, landlord and tenant as well as general contract work and professional negligence work associated with or arising from property matters.

Throughout his practice Karl has been an active member of the profession, initially as a member of the Professional Conduct, then sitting on Tribunals and progressing in 2003 to the Vice-Chair of the Equality and Diversity Committee, of which he remains an ordinary member.  Between 2004 and 2008 Karl was a member of the Civil Justice Council and was an elected member of the South Eastern Circuit.  

Karl has been appointed to undertake chair enquiries on behalf of local authorities.

Tel:    020 7242 2523 (switchboard)
Fax:   020 7691 1234

Email: karl.king@hardwicke.co.uk

COMMERCIAL

Karl’s practice encompasses a large number of interesting and wide-ranging facets. He has extensive experience of contract and transactional cases and has acted for a range of different clients.

Banking, Finance & Credit

Karl is very experienced in undertaking all forms of consumer credit work.

Partnership

Karl has advised and represented clients in all areas of partnership law, including partnership agreements, LLPs, dissolution and insolvency.

Professional Negligence

Karl has acted in a broad array of actions both for and against solicitors, surveyors, doctors, valuers and other property professionals.

INSURANCE

Occupier’s Liability

Karl accepts instructions in this subject area; his work naturally overlaps with his work for local authorities, social landlords and tenants.

Personal Injury

Karl is an experienced practitioner in the sphere of personal injury litigation and has been involved in many key cases in the past.

Relevant Cases

Derry v Ministry of Defence (1999) Times, 30 March
This case concerned negligence and failure in diagnosis by a military doctor. Also discussed issues of Crown immunity.

PROPERTY & PRIVATE CLIENT

Karl's main focus of work as a property practitioner has been principally in the areas of real property, landlord and tenant and housing. He is a very experienced and capable property and housing lawyer, specialising in many related areas including:

• local authority duties and powers
• possession and demotion claims
• unlawful eviction

Inheritance & Probate

Karl has acted in a number of significant cases in this area ranging from contested wills and disputes relating to the administration of estates to applications under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.  He regularly advises in relation to all contentious and non-contentious aspects of this area.

Land & Real Property

Karl advises and represents clients on a broad range of property-related work. Areas of specialisation include:

• boundary disputes and adverse possession
• injunctions and equitable remedies
• leasehold enfranchisement
• lease extensions and rights of first refusal
• forfeiture and possession claims, including against trespassers and unlawful sub-tenants
• adverse possession

Relevant Cases

Brazil v Brazil [2002] EWCA Civ 1135
Case concerning adverse possession of a house by travelling gypsis and the court’s discretion to set aside an order for rectification of the Land Register

Stonebridge and another v Bygrave and another [2001] All ER (D) 376 (Oct)
Case concerning an easement of the right to park cars granted in a lease, for which the claimant was seeking injunctive relief.

Landlord & Tenant – Commercial

Leasehold issues lie at the core of Karl’s practice and he has been frequently instructed by large corporate clients. His particular specialities include but not limited to acting and advising in relation to:

• service charge disputes
• lease variations and management disputes
• 1954 Act renewals

Landlord & Tenant – Residential

Hardwicke Building has a strong network of talented lawyers in this field. He is regularly instructed to advise and represent local authorities, as well as social landlords and public-sector tenants.
Karl has excellent experience in all areas of residential landlord and tenant work, including:
 
• disputes over the nature or status of a tenancy
• service charges disputes
• disrepairs disputes
• unlawful eviction
• forfeiture and repossession.