Penningtons Manches Cooper expands real estate disputes team with new partner

Posted: 17/09/2025

Leading law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper has appointed Sarah Finch as a partner in its fast growing real estate disputes team.

Sarah, who joins on 22 September, from Hamlins, is a prominent litigator with extensive experience across the commercial and residential sectors, having built her practice acting in a wide range of high value, complex matters.

With a strong track record in representing clients at tribunal and in the county, higher and appeal courts, Sarah has worked with a number of the UK's top institutional landlords, and developers, as well as overseas and domestic investors with large portfolios spanning the office, retail and warehouse sectors. She has also advised clients in relation to buildings with mixed residential and commercial use.

Based in the firm's London office, Sarah's focus will be on growing the commercial landlord and tenant practice. In particular, she will advise clients on asset management work such as lease renewals, tenant insolvency and default and dilapidations, as well as telecoms and development disputes. In addition, she is well positioned to advise on and manage site clearance strategies for large developments, including rights of light, and litigation relating to restrictive covenants and trespass.

Sarah's offering will respond to increasing client demand and complement the team's existing  capabilities and areas of specialisation. She will become the team's third partner in London, joining Ben Robinson – who leads the team and focuses on building safety and complex residential property issues –  and Sara Stephens, who was promoted to partner in April this year and is spearheading growth in the wider residential block and estate management sector in addition to building safety. The team's fourth partner, John Morrison, is based in Oxford and specialises in a wide range of disputes including lease renewals, dilapidations, service charge disputes, forfeiture and possession proceedings and boundary disputes.

Real estate disputes has become one of the fastest growing areas of the firm, with the team having almost trebled in size since 2022. Sarah's arrival marks the team's sixth appointment this year while further announcements in the coming months will bring the total headcount to nearly 30 specialists by the end of 2025.

Ben Robinson commented: "I'm thrilled to welcome Sarah to the team. She is an outstanding lawyer, well known in the sector and a great fit both personally and professionally. She will play a crucial role in helping us drive forward and deliver our strategy which focuses on developing our brand recognition and profile in our three growth areas: accommodation and living, business leases and land / development disputes. The litigation landscape in the commercial space is evolving and current economic pressures, shifting tenancy dynamics, telecoms and the proposed changes to upward rent reviews are all leading to increased demand for strategic support."

He added: "I'm really proud of the momentum we’ve built as a team and the calibre of interesting work we undertake. I'm sure Sarah will hit the ground running and make a big contribution to that trajectory. We're all very much looking forward to working with her."

Sarah Finch commented: "It's really exciting to be joining Penningtons, especially at a time when real estate disputes is thriving; the team's growth in the last few years has been inspiring. Ben has built up a highly capable group of lawyers in a relatively short time and the breadth and depth of work they undertake is impressive. The firm's wider real estate offering is highly regarded and it will also be great to collaborate with Mike Busby, the head of divisional strategy, and James Nadin, who leads the non-contentious commercial property practice. I'm looking forward to contributing to the next phase of growth!"

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