NLJ CAREER PROFILE: Dellah Gilbert, chair of the Property Litigation Association

What was your route into the profession?

I studied law at the University of Birmingham, attended Chester Law School and did my articles (yes, it was that long ago!) at Lovell White Durrant—now Hogan Lovells.

What has been your biggest career challenge so far?

Defending an appeal all the way to the Supreme Court, which also happens to be one of the highlights of my career. I was involved in the S Franses v The Cavendish Hotel case which was probably the most significant property case of 2018. The Supreme Court’s decision changed the way that courts look at a landlord’s intention to redevelop premises which a business tenant is occupying and wants a new lease of. Now, bar complete demolition, it is incredibly difficult for a landlord to succeed in showing the court that it has the requisite intention.

On a personal level, successfully balancing my career with parenting—I’m grateful to be with a progressive firm like Maples Teesdale which supports a healthy life-work balance and has some fantastic flexible working policies.

Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?

I recently became chair of the Property Litigation Association (PLA) and would have to say our president, Judge Lizzie Cooke. Lizzie has achieved so much during her diverse and highly successful property law career—including being a practising solicitor, professor and university lecturer, Law Commissioner for England and Wales, and now judge of the Upper Tribunal, Lands Chamber—as well as raising a family. Lizzie is also committed to championing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and has blazed a trail for gender equality within our profession—she’s incredibly inspiring, wise and we are thrilled to have her as our president.

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternate career?

I’d stay with the legal theme and become a crime writer, with lots of twisting plots, unlikely villains—and of course, first-rate legal support.

Who is your favourite fictional lawyer?

Diane Lockhart of The Good Wife, because she’s charismatic and feisty but fair. My second choice is Perry Mason—partly because he isn’t afraid to take on difficult cases and always fights hard for his clients—and partly because his assistant was called Della!

What change would you make to the profession?

Originally from Yorkshire, I’m passionate about regional inclusion and ensuring the PLA’s whole membership has access to similar opportunities as London-based professionals.

By dint of legislation, most property litigation cases are conducted in county courts—however, due to a serious lack of investment, a thorough overhaul of the system is needed for it to work efficiently. Even something as simple as a counter service to issue all claims, instead of the dreaded drop box, would be a huge initial step forward.

I think we can also accept that the profession is traditionally quite ‘male, pale and stale’—and there is more work to be done to open it up and make it more inclusive in terms of gender, ethnicity and social mobility. At Maples Teesdale where I’m co-head of DEI, we’ve worked hard to double the percentage of women partners in recent years and today nearly 50% of our trainees come from ethnic minority backgrounds. While we don’t claim to have all the answers, we’re proud to be moving in the right direction and an active part of Real Estate Balance, a member organisation doing fantastic work to progress DEI within our industry.

How do you relax?

Spending time with my family, reading crime novels and solving cryptic crosswords. I love staying active—my favourite ‘relaxing’ holiday is skiing!

Dellah Gilbert is head of real estate disputes at Maples Teesdale and the new chair of the Property Litigation Association.