Michael Selway

Call 2007

"Michael is incredibly bright, fast to latch on to the nub of the issue and proportionate in his approach, ensuring that he does not labour cross-examination unnecessarily. He is incredibly bright and tackles technical work well."

For enquiries please contact

Stephen Arnold
Senior Practice Manager - Civil
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

Joe Stayte
Practice Manager - Commercial, Insolvency, Property & Estates, Court of Protection (Property & Affairs)
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

"Michael is incredibly bright, fast to latch on to the nub of the issue and proportionate in his approach, ensuring that he does not labour cross-examination unnecessarily. He is incredibly bright and tackles technical work well."


Chambers & Partners UK 2023

‘Michael is incredibly intelligent and very good on his feet. He has a very analytical eye.’


Legal 500 UK 2023

"His calm demeanour belies his strong intellect and dogged tenacity."


Legal 500 2021

"He provides extremely in-depth advice and leaves no stone unturned."


Legal 500 2021

  • BVC (Outstanding), UWE Bristol
  • BA (First Class), University of Oxford

  • Middle Temple
  • Chancery Bar Association

Michael Selway practises in Property & Estates and Commercial law, appearing in the High Court, County Court, and other tribunals and doing advisory and drafting work in a wide range of cases in these areas.

He more recently expanded his practice to include the related field of Property & Affairs work in the Court of Protection.

Expertise

In these fields, Michael has expertise in the areas listed under the headings below and also has experience in other areas, including common land and rights of common, manorial rights, public rights of way and property/estates-related aspects of banking and insolvency.

Michael appears in hearings in courts and tribunals across South West England and South Wales, as well as in London and further afield, including:

  • Fast track and multi track trials, a wide range of interim and other hearings, case and costs management conferences and appeals in the High Court (especially the Chancery Division and Probate Registry) and the County Court.
  • Final hearings in the First-tier Tribunal, Property Chamber, Residential Property and Land Registration Divisions (formerly the work of the LVT, RPT and HMLR Adjudicator).

He also represents clients in mediations, as well as conducting negotiations and conferences and undertaking advisory and drafting work in all of the areas mentioned here.

Featured Property, Trusts & Estates cases


Davis v Lewis REF/2016/0036, [2017] UKFTT 0181 (PC)

Represented the two applicants at the three-day final hearing of an application in the First-tier Tribunal, Property Chamber, Land Registration Division. The Issue was whether the applicants should be registered as the proprietors of the land in question on the ground that they had title to it by way of adverse possession, where the respondent disputed that the applicants had been in possession of the land.


N v N (Sep-Oct 2016)

Represented two defendants at the three day trial of a claim in the County Court at Cardiff before a deputy circuit judge regarding alleged trespass to chattels and land and interference with a right of way. The main issue was the construction of an express grant of a right of way for use by vehicles over a track; in particular, whether the right of way included an entitlement to drive larger vehicles over an area of verge to the side of the track in order to have enough space to be able to turn on and off the track.


P v A (Jul-Sep 2016)

Represented the defendant at the first instance before a deputy district judge and on appeal before a circuit judge in the County Court at Cardiff. The issue was whether the administrator of the estate of a mortgagor should be granted an adjournment of a claim for possession by a mortgagee under Section 36 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970 where the administrator was engaged in other proceedings against a third party to enable her to discharge the mortgage.


S v S (Jan-Mar 2016)

Represented the defendant at the two day trial of a claim in the High Court, Chancery Division, Bristol District Registry. Issues in the case were whether (i) the defendant should be removed as the personal representative of an estate and the claimant substituted in his place under Section 50(1) of the Administration of Justice Act 1985, and (ii) the defendant should be ordered to give up possession of a property which formed part of the estate.

Michael has experience in most areas of Real Property, including:

  • Adverse possession and title to land
  • Boundary disputes and party walls
  • Easements (rights of way and other rights)
  • Restrictive and other land covenants
  • Conveyances, estate contracts, options
  • Land registration and land charges
  • Constructive and resulting trusts of land
  • Proprietary estoppel
  • Co-ownership and rights of cohabitees
  • Mortgages and charges (including possession)
  • Trespass, nuisance and other property torts
  • Protection from harassment

Michael has experience in most areas of Landlord & Tenant, including:

  • Residential and commercial tenancies
  • Common law and statutory regulation
  • Assignment and interpretation of leases
  • Breach of covenant and unlawful eviction
  • Termination of leases (including possession)
  • Forfeiture and relief against forfeiture
  • Service charges and dilapidations
  • Lease enfranchisement and extension, RTM
  • Business tenancy renewals
  • Tenancy deposit schemes
  • Licences and tenancies at will
  • Social housing, ASBIs, contempt of court

Michael has experience in most areas under Inheritance, Wills, Probate and Estates, including:

  • Interpretation of wills
  • Formal and substantive validity of wills (formalities, testamentary capacity, knowledge and approval, undue influence, fraudulent calumny)
  • Family provision claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (including adult children, spouses and dependants)
  • Appointment, removal and substitution of personal representatives
  • Duties and powers of personal representatives
  • Issues arising in the administration of estates
  • Applications to the court for directions
  • Contentious and non-contentious probate

Michael has experience in most areas of Trusts & Estates law, including:

  • Validity, interpretation, variation and administration of trusts
  • Appointment, removal and substitution of trustees
  • Duties and powers of trustees
  • Rights of beneficiaries
  • Breach of trust disputes
  • Express, constructive and resulting trusts of land and chattels
  • Discretionary trusts and powers of appointment

In the Commercial field, Michael undertakes both court work and advisory and drafting work in cases involving general contractual disputes and a wide range of contractual issues.

Michael’s court work in this field includes multi-track and fast track trials, as well as interim and other hearings, in local courts and those further afield.

Recently, he has dealt with cases involving issues such as:

  • Agency
  • Assignment and novation
  • Misrepresentation and mistake
  • Duress and undue influence
  • Sale of goods and supply of services
  • Various problems with commercial leases
  • Guarantees of leases and other contracts
  • Various banking matters
  • Mortgages and charges
  • Possession claims
  • Charging orders
  • Orders for sale
  • Third party debt orders
  • Interpleader

He has also given seminars and written articles for Guildhall Chambers on such issues.

Featured Commercial Dispute Resolution cases


Pendra Loweth Management Ltd v North (2013-15)

Represented the respondent at first instance in the First-tier Tribunal, Property Chamber, Residential Property Division and drafted grounds of appeal which succeeded in the Upper Tribunal (see the judgement of the latter at [2015] UKUT 91). The first issue was whether the obligation of tenants to pay estimated service charges on demand to a management company under a lease was subject to a condition precedent which the management company had not complied with. The second issue was whether the service charges were recoverable by the management company where the name of the landlord had not been included in the demands for the same pursuant to Section 47 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987.


Day v Shaw [2014] EWHC 36 (Ch), [2014] 2 P & CR D1, [2014] All ER (D) 120 (Jan)

Represented the claimant at the first instance and then on appeal in the High Court, Chancery Division, Bristol District Registry before Morgan J. The husband and wife defendants jointly owned a house. A company of which the husband was a director took a loan from a bank for which he gave a guarantee, and the liabilities to the bank were charged by the defendants on their house. The house was sold and the bank realised its charge from the proceeds, and the claimant held a charging order over any interest which the husband had in the house and sought to realise the same
The wife was a sub-surety and therefore entitled to be indemnified by the husband as surety for her liability under the bank’s charge. As the liability was charged on the defendants’ jointly owned house, she was further entitled by way of the equity of the exoneration to be so indemnified from his interest in the house, which was thus extinguished and meant there was nothing to be realised under the charging order.

Michael’s practice also includes Property and Affairs work in the Court of Protection.

His established property, trusts and estates practice has previously included matters of capacity, powers of attorney and suchlike, and, following recent and continuing internal training, he is now developing his work in these areas.

For enquiries please contact

Stephen Arnold
Senior Practice Manager - Civil
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

Joe Stayte
Practice Manager - Commercial, Insolvency, Property & Estates, Court of Protection (Property & Affairs)
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

"Michael is incredibly bright, fast to latch on to the nub of the issue and proportionate in his approach, ensuring that he does not labour cross-examination unnecessarily. He is incredibly bright and tackles technical work well."


Chambers & Partners UK 2023

‘Michael is incredibly intelligent and very good on his feet. He has a very analytical eye.’


Legal 500 UK 2023

"His calm demeanour belies his strong intellect and dogged tenacity."


Legal 500 2021

"He provides extremely in-depth advice and leaves no stone unturned."


Legal 500 2021

  • BVC (Outstanding), UWE Bristol
  • BA (First Class), University of Oxford

  • Middle Temple
  • Chancery Bar Association

For help or advice please call 0117 930 9000 or complete the form below.

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