Ivor Collett

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 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.

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. QC 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. QC 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. QC 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. QC opponent.
Millharbour Management Ltd v Weston Homes Plc (2014) – TCC professional claim against M&E consultants. QC opponents, co-defendants and Leader (Michael Soole QC).
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. QC 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. QC 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.

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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 2018
Professional negligence – leading juniors – Tier 3- ‘His straight talking down-to-earth commercial approach means that he doesn’t waste time and he gets straight to the point.’

Chambers & Partners 2019
Professional negligence (Juniors) – Band 3 – 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. “He is very down-to-earth, approachable, unstuffy and sensible. He can really get on the client’s wavelength.” 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.

Recommendations

“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

Call 1995