Beverley Vara

Beverley is very enthusiastic about mediation and has developed a strong and successful mediation practice since leaving Allen & Overy in 2013. The feedback she receives from solicitors representing parties in her mediations is that they, and their clients, appreciate her straight talking, practical approach and her ability to mix a rigorous legal analysis of the case with empathy to help the parties find a solution that works for all of them.  Beverley mediates all types of commercial disputes with an emphasis on property disputes.  This year she has also mediated a significant number of professional negligence disputes.

Professional Background

Beverley worked as a solicitor for twenty years, the last ten of which were as a litigation partner in Allen & Overy LLP where she specialised in contentious property work.  She advised on a wide range of disputes mainly where the subject matter of the dispute was real estate covering not only technical real estate law (such as landlord and tenant and enfranchisement), but also contractual disputes, disputes concerning various types of financing of real estate, sale and purchase disputes, development disputes, professional negligence actions, insolvency and party wall and neighbour disputes.

Expertise

Beverley accepts mediation appointments in disputes in the following areas:

• Banking & Finance
• Commercial Contract
• Construction & Engineering
• Insolvency
• Planning
• PFI/PPP
• Professional Negligence
• Property (both commercial and residential)

Articles

"One year on from PGF" Beverley has written, with John Dagnall, an article that asks whether one year after PGF II SA v OMFS Company 1 Ltd, “les autres” have been “encouraged”? Click here to download the article.

"To mediate, or not: that is the question"   Mediation has gained momentum following the Woolf reforms. Beverley Vara looks at its evolution and why, today, it’s hard to refuse.   Click here to download the article.

'Yet another reason to mediate' . An article by Beverley and John Dagnall on the recent case of PGF II SA v OMFS Company 1 Limited [2013] EWCA Civ 1288, which extended the obligations on litigants when offered the opportunity to mediate.  Click here to download.

Personal Style

Beverley’s style has been described as calm and authoritative with the ability to gently help the parties reality test their respective positions with the situation calls for it.

Feedback

“Calm, collected manner”
“Calm authority and an assured open manner which facilitates communication”
“A sound handling of the process”