Mathew Ditchburn, partner and head of real estate disputes at Hogan Lovells, has taken over as chair of the Property Litigation Association.
Ditchburn has commenced his year-long term, taking the reins from Osborne Clarke partner Gary Lawrenson. Dellah Gilbert, of Maples Teesdale LLP, now serves as vice chair of the PLA.
Ditchburn, who has previously played a major role in the organisation’s reform committee, said that there has been “no more important time in recent memory to be a property litigator”.
He said: “It is truly an honour, and a momentous time to be chair of the Property Litigation Association. There is so much going on, and the pace of change is quickening.
“We have already seen the government start to overhaul long residential leaseholds. Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has its sights on reviewing commercial landlord and tenant legislation, including the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. This is something which the PLA has been pushing the Law Commission to tackle for some time, and it looks set to feature in the upcoming 14th Programme of Law Reform.
“Only just this week we have seen a first-of-its-kind mandatory arbitration scheme launched to settle pandemic rent arrears. We have major appeal cases on the horizon dealing with telecoms and CVAs, and much more besides.
“These changes could affect the entire property industry for years to come, and they all fall squarely within the PLA’s field of expertise.
He added: “The PLA must use its public voice to influence change in the best possible way, and its commitment to quality and specialist training to equip the profession for what is to come. Fortunately, we have an amazing team in place to rise to the challenge, backed up by an active and highly engaged membership.”
The PLA, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020, represents professionals specialising in property litigation across the UK and has 1,400 members.
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