Ben Lafferty

Call 2021

lafferty@exchangechambers.co.uk

Photo of Ben Lafferty

  • Recommendations

    Client/solicitor testimonials and legal directory recommendations

    Of Ben’s performance in a 4 day multi-track trial, the designated civil judge hearing the trial commented of his performance (after the conclusion of the trial, by way of email):

    “I thought you conducted the trial very well and incredibly well for someone of your call.”

    Of Ben’s performance in successfully obtaining the dismissal of an application to set aside a possession order and underlying warrant for eviction, Ben’s instructing solicitor noted, by way of feedback to Chambers’ senior management:

    “…[the District Judge] was particularly complimentary toward Ben and his skeleton this morning – at which we had as successful a court outing as I can remember…

    Ben was also good with me and with our client.

    I was pleased to witness it – [he is] a credit to chambers.”

    Of Ben’s involvement in difficult and high value bankruptcy matters (valued at circa £3.2m), his instructing solicitor noted:

    “We have been very impressed with Ben…He has been very thorough, responsive and attentive.

    We have found him to be knowledgeable and approachable, and his written advice has been very good.”

    Of Ben’s performance in a possession and contested probate matter, his instructing solicitors noted, by way of feedback to Chambers’ senior management:

    “We have had great help from Ben Lafferty in relation to a possession matter and related probate dispute…

    We attended a possession hearing last week and after a long battle, we obtained the order we needed and Ben was able to persuade the judge to ignore the numerous obstacles trying to be put up by the opposing barrister.

    The clients have been very happy with his services, they are a private paying couple, the fees for dealing with the matter have been kept reasonable and as ever more work has not doubt been done and not charged for. 

    We have been very pleased with the service from Ben and would recommend his services to anyone.”

    Of Ben’s performance in successfully defending a £104,000 summary judgment application, Ben’s instructing solicitor said of his performance, by way of feedback to Chambers’ senior management:

    “I would like to bring to your attention my admiration for the work done by Counsel in extremely difficult circumstances.”

  • Beyond the Bar

    Ben is an avid guitarist, having played (or, at least, attempted to play) the instrument since the age of 5. His obsession with the instrument sees him attempt to source a guitar shop on each of his travels to the various court centres up and down the jurisdiction to which he is sent.

  • Education

    Qualifications
    St Malachy’s College, Belfast (2008-2015)
    Queen’s University, Belfast (2015-2018), LLB Law with Politics, First Class Honours
    BPP Manchester (2019-2020), LLM Legal Practice, Distinction

    Scholarships
    Inner Temple Major Scholarship
    Inner Temple Duke of Edinburgh’s Scholarship
    BPP Academic Excellence Scholarship

  • Memberships

    Northern Circuit

    The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple

  • News

Commercial

Ben is regularly instructed in complex and high value commercial litigation matters. He regularly assists and appears on matters from the drafting stage, through to interim and final hearings. His instructions regularly come in the form of contract claims, company and partnership disputes, guarantee claims and construction claims.

Ben’s notable cases and instructions in this general commercial area of his practice include:

  • His instructions to appear at an interim injunction application on behalf of the respondent to the same. This case concerned a property that had been occupied by a family member who sought to assert a claim over it (by way of a TOLATA claim) and to injunct the executors of an estate from selling the property until the intimated claim had been heard. Ben, representing the respondent executor, obtained the dismissal of the application as totally without merit and an order for indemnity costs in favour of his client;
  • His instruction to appear for a respondent to a summary judgment application brought by the Claimant in a claim stated to be valued at £104,000, which successfully resulted in the dismissal of the application;
  • His appearance at a 2-day trial (on behalf of a defendant) in central London concerning the transportation of goods between England and the EU and the consequence of implied terms into the contract between the parties;
  • His appearance at a 4-day multitrack trial (on behalf of a defendant) concerning large scale building works carried out on a farm;
  • His attendance at a 1-day trial in London concerning forfeiture of a large piece of commercial real-estate, in which Ben successfully obtained a forfeiture order and the dismissal of various disrepair, nuisance and harassment defences. This resulted in a possession order for his client and a money judgment valued at circa £120k;
  • His provision of a draft defence and counter claim in a construction dispute, whereby the loss to his client was asserted to be valued at circa £400k;
  • His provision of advice to the purchaser of a large-scale piece of commercial real estate following their purchase of a plot of land valued at £1.3 million, as to the contractual construction of post-completion obligations pursuant to the contract of sale; and
  • His provision of a letter of advice to a prospective Claimant in a claim intimated to be worth circa £840,000, concerning the law of compromise.