Ray Beard
Partner
Specialisms and expertise
- Boundary, party wall and nuisance disputes
- Easements and profits à prendre issues, with particular reference to rights of way
- Restrictive and other land covenants
- Matters involving land registration law and practice, with particular reference to alterations of registered titles, the protection of easements and indemnity claims against the Land Registry
- Rights and obligations relating to common land and town and village greens
- Co-ownership and trusts of land matters, including proprietary estoppel claims
- Adverse possession claims and squatters issues
- Aspects of highways law relevant to private landowners
- Contractual problems arising out of non-completion of conveyancing transactions
- Advisory work relating to conveyancing transactions including options and pre-emption rights
- Issues concerning mortgages and securities over land
- Business, residential and agricultural tenancies, with particular regard to security of tenure
- Contentious trust and probate issues.
Types of client
Private individuals and trustees, owners and users of commercial, agricultural, forestry and residential property, commercial and private landlords and tenants.
Profile
Raymond joined the firm in 1977 as a trainee, qualified as a Solicitor in 1979 and became a Salaried Partner in 1989. He is a member of the Property Litigation Association. After qualifying Raymond spent several years dealing with all types of litigation, including commercial and consumer contractual claims, company and partnership issues, insolvency, criminal prosecution and defence work, family and probate matters, personal injury claims, licensing, construction disputes and planning and environmental pollution cases. Throughout his career he has conducted court proceedings and undertaken advisory work in most areas of property law and since 1989 they have been his principal responsibility. He has a keen interest in historical aspects of land law and works closely with Chancery Counsel, Surveyors and Archivists when property ownership and rights need to be determined by reference to old deeds, documents and maps. Recently he has taken on responsibility for disputes concerning Wills and estates.
His previous experience working in other areas of the law enables him to take on matters outside his main areas of practice.