Paul Tomkins

Practice Areas

Paul leads the Property Litigation Team at Freeths, which is made up of around 40 lawyers. He has extensive experience in dealing with all Property Litigation issues, including contested and uncontested lease renewals, dilapidations claims, break clause issues, service charge disputes and easement and covenant matters.

Paul ensures that he and his team understand their clients’ specific business needs, so that they do not simply offer the client a list of legal options, but a practical solution tailored to the client’s specific business requirements. He always has a focus on the expense, time and risk of litigation and does not “get lost” in “interesting” legal points with no commercial impact.

Professional Memberships

Paul is a member of the Property Litigation Association (“PLA”) and sits on the sub-committee of the PLA in the Midlands.

Personal

Paul has a passion for travelling and loves doing just that with his wife and three children. He also loves food and wine and has a passion for sport, particularly football, cricket and rugby union.

Paul was shortlisted for Partner of the Year' at the Nottinghamshire Law Society Annual Awards in 2023.

Work Highlights

Paul’s recent experience includes:

- Acting for a retailer whose landlord opposed the grant of a new tenancy of a retail warehouse under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 on the basis of an intention to carry out substantial works of construction. Our client’s position was that the works the landlord intended to carry out were not substantial works of construction. A trial was listed, but in the week before the trial, the landlord agreed to grant our client a new lease.

- Acting as the lead property litigation contact for an occupier client with over 1,000 branches and managing all property litigation arising for that client.

- Acting for developer of land where there was an access dispute potentially preventing it from carrying out the development. Dealing with the litigation arising, at the conclusion of which, the developer was able to proceed with the development.