Stephanie joined Birketts in June 2025. She is a Partner and leads our Property Disputes Team in the Bristol office.
Stephanie specialises in commercial property disputes and her practice is dedicated to risk mitigation and dispute resolution in the infrastructure, energy and renewables sector and retail sector, acting for national and regional commercial property owners (including landlords and tenants) and investors, large retailers and major transport and renewables entities and developers.
Stephanie deals with technically complex and high value infrastructure disputes (including multi-disciplinary projects) and has extensive knowledge of the retail sector from managing large national occupational property portfolios and resolving a wide range of disputes for commercial household names and charities.
Notable expertise includes advising on:
Retail: rent reviews, re-gears, lease termination (including forfeiture, break rights), asset and portfolio management and contested and uncontested renewals (including 1954 Act strategies), landlord consent issues and alterations, site clearance, disrepair, dilapidations and breach of covenant claims, service charge issues and other landlord and tenant disputes.
Infrastructure: title and ownership issues, development agreement disputes, securing land rights for infrastructure, statutory and contractual undertakings, and development of expansion space for international transport operators.
Energy and Renewables: complex contractual disputes and issues of interpretation and enforcement, agreements for lease or purchase, options and overage agreements, land rights (including easements and restrictive covenants) and trespass and nuisance claims.
Recent work highlights
Advising a large UK Motorway Service Station Operator on a strategically significant EV charger rollout and associated sub-stations and infrastructure across its UK portfolio and dealing with any consent requirements.
Advising a large national retailer on its expansion programme including the acquisition of leasehold and freehold portfolios from a UK supermarket chain with multiple UK sites, dealing with environmental issues, landlords’ unreasonably refusing consent and enforceability of options to purchase.
Advising a Strategic Combined Authority and Mayoral Development Corporation on the ownership of multiple substation assets and infrastructure across a large private wire electricity network in the UK.
Successfully acting for a developer landlord against a high-profile national retailer contesting a redevelopment break including dealing with a heavily contested 1954 Act lease opposed renewal claim concerning a major multi-million pound redevelopment and building lease.
Acting for a national infrastructure company in respect of multi million pound “lift and shift” wayleave disputes as part of a UK national enhancement electrification programme.
Advising on a rail industry matter for an international rail operator concerning its UK station future expansion plans for a new international train operator.
Experience & education
Stephanie previously trained and practiced as a property disputes lawyer in Bristol for 8 years at Womble Bond Dickinson before joining Foot Anstey’s Real Estate Disputes Team in Bristol in late 2019.
Stephanie studied law (LLB) at the University of Warwick and completed the Legal Practice Course at the University of the West of England.
Areas of Expertise
Accreditations
Legal 500 [UK 2025]
Next Generation Partner
Property Law Association
Member
Women in Property
Member and Mentor
