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Our Team

Our Team

Nichola Reece-Burton

Nichola Reece-Burton

  • Partner
  • Head of Litigation
Membership of Professional Bodies

Member of Lincoln’s Inn

Legal Affairs Department of Dubai

Admitted

Lincoln’s Inn (2004)

Legal Affairs Department of Dubai (2012)

Languages

Basic German

Membership of Social/Networking Groups

British Business Group

International Business Women’s Group

Fantastic level of service, very presonalised. Absolutely, we still use your services and we recommend JBL to any client which requires a Solicitor.

Litigation Client

During the course of attempting to buy our first villa in Dubai, the Seller, after signing the MOU and addendum contract, decided to then refuse to sell the property and thus fell in breach of the Contract.  We approached James Berry & Associates and we were immediately assigned to Nichola in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution/Real Property department.

Our case was handled personally, efficiently and professionally and after issue of a legal notice to the Seller and the various exchanges exchanged after that, Nichola successfully emphasised the Sellers legal weaknesses and their breach and an agreement to compensate us for that breach was agreed - out of court.

We wish to thank Nichola and Maricel for the fantastic work done on our behalf and we hereby highly recommend anyone in the same circumstances to seek Nichola's assistance to secure your rights and compensation.

Alister & Katherine White

Alister & Katherine White

… Thank you for handling our case over those crazy few months. I think you managed us and the process thoroughly during a very stressful time and managed to deliver a positive and clean result….. I hope (please take this as a positive) we don't require your services anytime soon, but will be recommending you to anyone who may require similar legal services.

Property Client

Thank you once again for your swift action on this matter and for keeping within the agreed time frames. It is good to know that your firm handles a variety of matters, so I am confident our paths shall cross again.

 

Property Client

I spoke to James Berry Law’s Partner/Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Nichola Reece Burton, about a financial dispute with a client over unpaid invoices and I couldn’t have hoped for better advice. Nichola was extremely knowledgeable and helped me understand the options available to me and the next steps I should take. I cannot thank her and James Berry Law enough for their expertise in this situation and I would firmly recommend them to anyone in a similar situation.

Anonymous

In 2023, I sold an apartment I owned in Dubai through a local estate agent. As I did not have a UAE bank account, I naively agreed to grant him Power of Attorney in respect of the sale and to receive the proceeds on my behalf for onward remittance into my bank in the United Kingdom.

 

The property was duly sold but, to my dismay, the proceeds were never transferred into my bank account. In desperation, I contacted James Berry & Associates in Dubai and was put in touch with the Head of litigation, Nichola Reece-Burton. She very promptly and efficiently undertook a thorough investigation of what happened, including a visit to the relevant Government departments. Taking quick decisive action and, with the assistance of Advocate Michel Chalhoub of International Counsels Advocates & Legal Consultants, a fraud claim was filed against the Estate Agent ( grantee) for breach of trust under the POA. By filing a criminal claim for fraud rather than a civil claim, the Dubai police would investigate whether the grantee was still residing within Dubai, place an alert at the exit/entrance points to the Emirate and potentially institute a travel ban to prevent him from fleeing while the fraud claim was being determined by the Dubai courts.

 

As the grantee had British citizenship and that there was a high possibility that he no longer resided in Dubai, there was a low probability of ever getting anything back. However, more than 6 months later, to my amazement, I received notification that the grantee had been arrested at the Dubai airport and a travel restriction placed on him pending the outcome of the criminal hearing. The grantee was more than willing to “settle out of court” and, in less than two weeks, the full amount of the sales transaction was repaid!

 

I cannot thank Nichola, who led the whole process, Michel and their teams enough for their support, encouragement and professional advice and the urgent action taken both on initiating the fraud claim and recovering the monies. I could not have wished for a better legal team anywhere in the world! Fantastic!

 

One very happy and satisfied client.

 

 

Patrick Bailey

Nichola and her team at James Berry have been fantastic throughout this long and challenging journey, bringing it to a successful conclusion. Being overseas has not been a hindrance at all and they’ve certainly gone the extra mile on numerous occasions. Thank You

Darryl

I have been working with Nichola and the team at James Berry & Associates for several years and can always rely on their guidance when addressing complex legal matters. Nichola has most recently provided excellent legal advice relating to a complex commercial dispute. Nichola quickly built an accurate understanding of the complex dispute and provided timely practical legal advice with a view to finding a resolution. I would like to thank Nichola and the team at James Berry & Associates for their outstanding support.

A long-standing client - a multinational corporation with headquarters in East Asia

Nichola is responsive, knowledgeable about property law and pragmatic.

Anthony McAllister
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  • Nichola is a Senior Legal Consultant and Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution and Real Property at James Berry & Associates. Having previously worked in the banking sector and as a company secretary, Nichola studied law at Lincoln University as a mature student, where she gained a First Class LL.B (Hons) and was awarded the University's prize for "Outstanding Performance in Law" upon graduation. Nichola became a member of Lincoln's Inn and was awarded a Sir Thomas More Bursary from the Inn to assist in studying for her Bar Vocational Course. She was subsequently called to The Bar of England and Wales in 2004 and thereafter, Nichola worked as an Advocate in England for eight years prior to joining James Berry & Associates in July 2012.

    Nichola's current U.A.E. practice is predominantly litigation and real property based. Her real property practice includes: - commercial and residential landlord and tenant, property purchases and sales, off-plan property disputes and construction matters. Nichola’s litigation practice includes advising on criminal, regulatory, and professional/medical negligence cases, commercial debt recovery and commercial litigation. Nichola represents clients in domestic and international arbitration and has full rights of audience in the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) Courts. She is also a volunteer in the Academy of Law Pro-Bono Programme.

    Nichola is a practising Barrister (England & Wales), and an Associate Member (Chancery/Civil) of 36 Group Chambers in London.

    Education

    • Lincoln University (LL.B (Hons) first class degree)
    • Nottingham Bar School (Bar Vocational Diploma )

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