Ivor’s practice covers commercial, professional liability and insurance disputes, with a particular focus on construction professionals and lawyers. He is heavily involved in cases of impostor fraud and appeared successfully in the recent Court of Appeal case of P&P Property Ltd and Dreamvar (UK) Ltd (and at trial). Ivor’s insurance work involves policy wording and coverage issues of notification, non-disclosure, aggregation, minimum terms, disputes between insurers, and Third Parties’ rights. He is well known in the professional indemnity sector and is frequently instructed in cases against or co-defending with silks.
Ivor has been shortlisted as Professional Negligence – Junior of the Year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2023.
Ivor is a TECBAR-accredited Construction Adjudicator. He was involved in development of the Professional Negligence Adjudication Scheme. Over the last 5 years he has been the most frequently-appointed Adjudicator under the Scheme and he is the lead trainer for its accredited adjudicators.
Ivor was appointed to the part-time judicial role as an Assistant Coroner in 2018 and he sits in two London jurisdictions. In this role he carries out all of the varied judicial tasks of a coroner, including hearing jury and non-jury inquests.
Recent work includes:
- Extensive involvement in multiple identity/imposter fraud claims against professionals (with a one-week Court of Appeal hearing in 2018)
- High Court trial defending a recent loss of a chance solicitors’ claim
- High Court trial defending LPA receivers
- Involvement in post-Grenfell cladding claims in construction disputes, acting for designers and architects
- Successful defence of multi-party construction / professional negligence claim in the TCC and Court of Appeal
- Asbestos-related industrial injury litigation
- Sitting as Adjudicator in professional negligence adjudication disputes
Reported cases & recent work include:
- Centenary Homes Ltd v Gershinson (2020) QBD. Trial of professional negligence claim against LPA receivers.
- Hanbury v Hugh James Solicitors [2019] EWHC 1074 (QB). Loss of a chance claim arising out of asbestos litigation.
- P&P Property Ltd v Owen White & Catlin LLP and Dreamvar (UK) Ltd v Mishcon de Reya [2018] EWCA Civ 1082. Professional negligence liabilities in Identity Fraud cases. KC opponents and co-defendants.
- Couper v Irwin Mitchell LLP (2018) – ChD professional negligence claim against solicitors and counsel for loss of 3-week trial over property and Thames mooring rights.
- 14 Claimants v Cocks Lloyd Solicitors (2018) – ChD professional negligence claims against solicitors firm arising out of fraudulent property scheme. KC opponent.
- ECL Contracts Ltd v BRT Ltd (2018) – TCC claim arising out of cladding design / construction errors on multiple high rise blocks in Glasgow.
- Centenary Homes Ltd v Gershinson (2017) and (2018) – QB strike-out / summary judgment of professional negligence claim against LPA Receivers. KC opponent.
- Santander v Michael Parkes Surveyors Ltd (2016) – QB Appeal to High Court re fraud allegations in professional negligence claim against valuer.
- Southern Gas Networks Plc v Thames Water (2014) – TCC claim dealing with utility company liabilities to plant owners under statutory regime. KC opponent.
- Millharbour Management Ltd v Weston Homes Plc (2014) – TCC professional claim against M&E consultants. KC opponents, co-defendants and Leader (Michael Soole KC).
- Nicholson v Thames Water [2014] EWHC 4249 (QB) – liability for sewerage flooding of domestic premises.
- Barnes v Hydrex Equipment / Jarvis Rail (2013) – contribution between railway contractors and plant hirers in fatal accident claim. KC opponent.
- Davies v Barnes Webster [2011] EWHC 2560 (Ch) – liability of unincorporated association (rugby club) for sums due under building contract.
- Kew v Bettamix [2006] EWCA Civ 1535 – limitation and issue-based costs.
- Hodson Developments v GTA Civils Ltd Whitehouse Practice [2006] EWHC 1913 (TCC) – successful defence of a 3-week TCC trial in construction / professional negligence claims.
- Warfield Park Homes v Warfield Park Residents’ Association [2006] EWCA Civ 283 – effect of OFWAT and OFGEM directives on charges for onward utility sales by intermediaries. KC opponent.
- Sunley v Gowland White [2004] PNLR 15 CA – commercial valuation professional negligence claim.
- Foreman v O’Driscoll & Partners [2000] Lloyd’s Rep PN 720 QBD – solicitors’ negligence / limitation and deliberate concealment.
Inquests & Public Inquiries
Ivor typically acts for operators, employers, contractors, public authorities and their insurers.
Following a 6-week inquest Ivor was appointed in 2018 as an Assistant Coroner in West London and has since been appointed also to South London. When sitting, he acts with all of the powers and duties of a full-time coroner. He sits on jury and non-jury cases.
He is routinely instructed as an advocate in inquests because of the experience that this work brings, both in formulating strategy and management of issues with reputational sensitivities, and for adopting the most appropriate approach to witnesses and to the coroner in hearings. He acts both as sole counsel and with juniors, as the case requires, and always sees his role as part of a team acting with the client.
Ivor’s insurance work involves policy wording and coverage issues of notification, non-disclosure, aggregation, minimum terms, disputes between insurers, and Third Parties’ rights. He is well known in the professional indemnity sector and is frequently instructed in cases against or co-defending with silks.
Awards
News
- Crown Office Chambers to speak at the BILA Virtual Lecture, 14 November 2024
- Victoria Woodbridge elected as the next Chair of the PNBA
Events
- Crown Office Chambers to speak at the BILA Virtual Lecture, 14 November 2024
- Dubai Arbitration Week, 14-18 November 2022
Articles
- Burnett or Grant v International Insurance Co of Hanover Ltd
- Ivor Collett successfully defends LPA Receivers in professional negligence trial
Qualifications
- Lincoln College, Oxford (1993 BA(Hons))
- City University, London (1994, PGDip in Law)
Memberships
- London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association
- Personal Injuries Bar Association
- Professional Negligence Bar Association (Executive Committee)
- TECBAR
- Chancery Bar Association
- Member of the Bar Council
Rankings
Legal 500 2024
Professional negligence – leading juniors – Tier 1- ‘Ivor is very good in conference and likes to get into the detail. He is very good with clients.’
Legal 500 2019: ‘His straight talking down-to-earth commercial approach means that he doesn’t waste time and he gets straight to the point.’
Chambers & Partners 2024
Professional Negligence (Juniors) – Band 1 – A well-regarded junior who regularly handles professional negligence claims relating to professionals in the construction and legal sectors. Additionally, he has considerable insurance expertise and regularly acts for insurers, as well as defendants in professional indemnity litigation. He also sits as an adjudicator. ‘Ivor has got a particular expertise in professional negligence. He is very diligent and careful in his work and he is involved in cutting-edge cases.’
Recent work: Acted in a claim against LPA Receivers by a property owner for negligent handling of receivership and sale of properties to clear the property owner’s debts to a bank.
Professional Negligence: Technology & Construction (Juniors) – Band 2- Ivor Collett has broad expertise covering negligence claims brought against numerous professions, including architects, engineers and others in the construction industry. He acts in technically heavy and legally novel cases concerning a range of building projects. ‘Ivor Collett is really good to work with.’
Chambers & Partners 2018
Professional Negligence (Juniors) – ‘He is very down-to-earth, approachable, unstuffy and sensible. He can really get on the client’s wavelength.’
Recommendations
“Ivor is the counsel I would recommend the most.”…”He is a very courteous advocate but doesn’t hold back from points he needs to make, and nothing seems to faze him.”…”He is very good on the detail but he is also a big-picture guy.”
Chambers & Partners, 2025
“Ivor is extremely bright and has a wonderfully composed manner with clients. He is an excellent advocate.”
Legal 500, 2025
“I have a lot of respect for Ivor.”…”He can really see through all of the background and work out what is worth discussing.”
Chambers & Partners, 2025
“Ivor has got a particular expertise in professional negligence. He is very diligent and careful in his work and he is involved in cutting-edge cases.”
Chambers & Partners, 2024
“Ivor is very good in conference and likes to get into the detail. He is very good with clients.”
Legal 500, 2024
“As a barrister he’s particularly hot on construction-related professional negligence.”
Chambers & Partners, 2022
“He is a calm and confident advocate who can deal well with difficult cases. He will do what he can for his client no matter how difficult their position.”
Legal 500, 2022
“He is very bright, incredibly approachable and willing to listen. A great person to work with on a case over a number of years. Team player”
Legal 500, 2021
“He is knowledgeable in his area of law and is a highly persuasive advocate. A good all-round barrister.”
Chambers & Partners, 2021
“He’s very charming, very measured and has a nice manner in court.”; “He is a very experienced and proficient barrister. He is very approachable, and always makes time to speak when he already has a very busy schedule.”
Chambers & Partners, 2020
