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Petra Billing

She/herPartner
Head of Real Estate Litigation, UK
Exemplary knowledge and experience in the law and its application, combined with very strong commercial awareness and strategic advice, excellent communication and case management skills.
Clients, Chambers UK 2024
About

Petra is a commercial real estate litigator who leads our national real estate litigation team with over 20 years’ experience of advising real estate clients not just in the real estate sector, but also in a variety of other sectors including the Industrials sector, the Infrastructure, Construction and Transport sector and the Energy and Natural Resources sector (where Petra is the UK Extractives Lead with clients being largely domestic minerals operators).Petra advises on mining and minerals disputes, development disputes, all commercial landlord and tenant disputes and issues and protest law.

Petra is ranked as a Hall of Fame Lawyer in the most recent Legal 500 rankings for real estate litigation (Yorkshire and Humber) and the team are ranked as a First-Tier Law firm. Petra is also ranked a Leading Individual in the London Mining and Minerals category of Legal 500. Similarly, for the Northeast and Yorkshire category of the real estate litigation rankings in Chambers UK the team are ranked as Band 1 and Petra herself is a Band 1 ranked lawyer.

Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

  • Petra’s clients include Tarmac, Aggregate Industries UK Limited/ Lafarge Holcim, Tata Steel UK, UPS, Starwood Properties, LaSalle, Compass, Oval Real Estate, Hs2, CBRE and National Grid.
  • Petra’s practice within the commercial real estate litigation sphere is broad and varied covering the whole range of real estate disputes ( including arbitration, expert determination and mediation) and commercial and strategic real estate advice.
  • Leading a national team of lawyers, working closely with National Highways Limited and the Government Legal Department, as well as a counsel team of 10 (including 3 KC’s) to secure High Court injunctions against Persons Unknown and 143 named defendants associated with the Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil protest campaigns affecting the M25 and other roads within the national strategic road network. This has attracted a lot of media coverage and following breaches of the injunctions obtained, the team have pursued successful contempt applications against numerous protestors with sanctions ranging from immediate to suspended custodial sentences together with costs orders.
Education
  • University of Bristol, Law LLB (Hons), 1991

Awards

  • "Petra has a brilliant knowledge of the industry and she is really impressive." Client, Chambers UK, 2024.
  • Petra was named as a standout Lawyers by Thomson Reuters in 2023.
  • Petra is shortlisted as the Lawyer of the Year in Legal 500’s Northern Powerhouse Awards 2024.
  • "Petra works very hard work for her clients and is passionate in what she does. She's always available to us." Client, Chambers UK, 2024.

Prior Experience

  • 2000 to date, Partner, DLA Piper
  • 1996 to 2000, Senior Solicitor, UK based commercial property firm
  • 1992 to 1996, Associate, UK based law firm

Memberships And Affiliations

Petra is a member of the Law Society, Property Litigation Association and is the firm’s lead for the firm’s associate membership of the Mineral Products Association.

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