Melissa Thompson

Practice Areas

Melissa is a leading property dispute resolution specialist and a solicitor advocate who appears for clients in the County and High Courts. She acts for and advises clients on all manner of contentious property issues arising in landlord and tenant matters and on development. As well as advising on property disputes, she works with clients to anticipate and avoid disputes. Melissa advises a wide variety of clients including property investors, companies, retailers, developers, energy and utility companies, banks and universities. She has extensive experience in rights of light work and has advised developers of some of the most significant tall tower developments in the City and Canary Wharf.

Her work includes initial due diligence and strategy, preventing rights of light where possible through the tactical use of light obstruction notices, acting on actual or threatened litigation, insurance advice and dealing with all rights of light aspects of development funding arrangements. Melissa's development practice is also particularly focused on the energy, and infrastructure sectors where she deals with issues associated with project site acquisition including mines and minerals claims, disputed access rights, the enforcement/discharge of restrictive covenants, rights of way, easements and statutory and judicial review challenges to the grant of consent.

Melissa also runs a market leading practice dealing with the management of large and high profile protester actions on sites across the UK. She has strong relationships with leading barristers, enforcement officers and security specialists who focus on the removal of protesters.