Graham
Balchin
Graham has specialised in professional negligence claims since he qualified as a solicitor at City firm Trowers & Hamlins in 1992. He ‘cut his teeth’ pursuing a large volume of professional negligence claims against surveyors and solicitors on behalf of institutional lenders following the last property slump in the early 1990s. Graham is the partner heading the professional negligence team. He joined Bolt Burdon Kemp in 1994, established the firm’s professional negligence team and was made a partner in 1997.
Now nearly twenty years after the last property crash we have come full circle as property related claims once again emerge out of the fall in the property market. Graham is currently dealing with over thirty mortgage fraud cases acting on behalf of borrower/purchaser clients who have been defrauded into buying substantially overvalued ‘buy to let’ properties. His extensive professional negligence experience means that Graham is able to advise in relation to a broad range of claims against professionals, including solicitors, barristers, valuers/surveyors, accountants, financial advisers, banks and insurance brokers. He has also brought successful claims on behalf of clients who have been the victims of ‘Ponzi’ schemes and other investment frauds. His experience includes tracing misappropriated funds and enforcing judgments in cases where professional indemnity insurance cover has been avoided because of the dishonesty of the ‘professional’ in question.
Graham is well known as a leading claimant professional negligence solicitor and over the years has counted amongst his clients numerous solicitors and barristers. He is a member of the Law Society Legal Complaints Service Negligence Panel, the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association and the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers. Graham is also on the register maintained by the London Solicitors Litigation Association of solicitors with experience of supervising and executing civil search orders. He has also written a number of articles and is frequently called upon to contribute to the media on the topics of professional negligence and property.
Graham will be happy to discuss any potential professional negligence claim and is able to give concise, clear and practical advice.
Reported cases and cases of interest include:
Laib v Aravindan [2003] EWHC 2521 QBD, The Times, 13.11.3003. – Claim against solicitors for loss of chance to pursue a negligence claim against a mortgage lender involving complex issues relating to limitation.
Vinayak v Lovegrove & Eliot [2007] EWHC 9009 – Claim against solicitors arising out of failure to advise that break clause in lease could only be exercised by original lessee. Court held that losing solicitors could not compel disclosure of conditional fee agreement.
Tavistock Repertory Guarantors Limited v Gregory Rowcliffe Milners HQ02X2325 – Claim against solicitors who lost client the right to renew lease of theatre premises resulting in agreed damages of £2,020,000 which is believed to be possibly the highest sum ever recovered from a solicitor who was acting ‘pro bono’ (giving free advice).
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