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Amanda McNeil is approachable, responsive and commercially astute.

LEGAL 500 2025
About

Amanda McNeil specialises in contentious issues relating to commercial and residential property. She focuses on enabling clients to find the best outcome for their unique circumstances. She heads our Real Estate team.

Amanda has a diverse client base. As a solicitor she advises landlords, retailers and other commercial occupiers with their asset management needs. She works with commercial developers on site clearances, restrictive covenant issues, boundary and other disputes. She acts for high-net-worth individuals on disputes relating to their personal property portfolios and their homes in the UK.

Amanda’s expertise in commercial property disputes includes acting on  Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 lease renewals (including opposed renewals), forfeiture actions, rent recovery, service charge disputes, dilapidations claims, enforcement of covenants, rent reviews and withholding of consent to assign/sublet/carry out alterations.

She additionally guides clients through original tenant liability and liability of guarantors issues, disputes over rent deposits and property insolvency issues.

Meanwhile, her residential property experience includes advising on exercising the right to manage, service charge disputes, enforcement of covenants, and possession proceedings (both Rent Act tenancies and Assured Shorthold tenancies).

Amanda acts for both landlords and tenants advising on all aspects of leasehold enfranchisement including lease extensions of flats, collective enfranchisement (whereby the leaseholders in a building join together and buy the freehold), freehold purchase and lease extension of leasehold houses.

She prides herself on listening to her clients, understanding their objectives and provides first class strategically and commercially driven advice in an unstuffy way to achieve the best possible outcome in line with their unique needs.

Her alternative dispute resolution experience includes mediation, arbitration and advocacy. She represents clients in the Privy Council, Court of Appeal, High Court, County Court and increasingly in the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Chamber.

Amanda is a member of the Property Litigation Association and the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners.

Recent work

  • Acting for the successful leaseholder in the Court of Appeal on the interpretation of a sweeper clauses in leases and recoverability by the landlord, through the service charge, of legal costs in excess of £2.7million relating to litigation with the adjoining landowner ( 89 Holland Park Management Limited v Dell ((2023) EWCA Civ 1460)).
  • Successfully obtaining an injunction for a restaurant client arising from an unlawful forfeiture of its lease.
  • Successfully acting for homeowners in defending a claim for breach of a restrictive covenant to which their home is subject by reason of building an extension to their home.
  • Acting for the joint Administrators of London Bridge Entertainment Partners LLP (in Administration) the former tenant of the iconic London Trocadero in Piccadilly Circus concerning the construction of a clause in a rent deposit deed which provided for the landlord to be entitled to recover proper losses incidental to and consequent upon a forfeiture of the lease. Successfully defending the landlord's claim it was entitled to recover sums representing an unlimited period for marketing the property following the forfeiture together with a sum equivalent to any rent free period which would be granted to an incoming tenant. (Re London Bridge Entertainment Partners LLP (in Administration) [2018] EWHC 3200 (Ch)).
  • Acting for a well known retailer in a substantial damages claim against its landlord in connection with its flagship store.
  • Acting for numerous retailers and restaurant groups in resolving Covid rent arrears matters. 
  • Acting for a leaseholder of a high value residential property in possibly the largest service charge dispute to be determined by the First Tier Tribunal.
  • Acting for a landowner in a claim against a county council for the cost of clearing extensive fly tipping on its land.
  • Acting for a landowner in seeking the removal/modification of restrictive covenants to enable a substantial residential development to proceed.

Accolades

  • "Amanda McNeil is incisive in her argument but open minded to consider the broad picture. Comprehensive knowledge of the area and as we grew into the process, increasingly confident and unfazed by some odd actions and arguments by the other side. She has a straight and true moral compass." Legal 500 2025
  • "Amanda McNeil is who I would want on my team in any dispute. The quality of her clients and retention rate is outstanding." Legal 500 2025
  • "Amanda is responsive and always fully engaged in her work." Chambers UK 2025
  • Ranked Band 4, Real Estate Litigation, Chambers UK 2024
  • "Clients love Amanda and she does a great job getting them what they want." Chambers UK 2024
  • "She's always sensible and knowledgeable." Chambers UK 2024
  • "She's an excellent lawyer who is as knowledgeable as she is empathetic." Chambers UK 2024
  • Ranked Band 4, Real Estate Litigation, Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Listed as Key Lawyer, Real estate: Property litigation, Legal 500 UK 2023
  • "Amanda McNeil – experienced and canny, understands how to achieve the client's objectives." Legal 500 UK 2023
  • "Amanda knows the law and she is also someone you can deal with and work towards a solution together." Legal 500 UK 2023
  • "Amanda McNeil is extremely personable, easy to work with and creates confidence." Chambers UK 2022
  • "She identifies the issues quickly and provides clear, calm and commercially-minded advice, but is more than capable of fighting her client's corner." Chambers UK 2022
  • "Her communication and approach is very strong, as is her knowledge." Chambers UK 2022

Did you know

Amanda also enjoys overcoming obstacles in her private life and is a keen assault course race participant.

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