Kester is a leading junior specialising in all aspects of commercial and residential property law; with particular expertise in rights to light, registered title rectification, mortgages, multi-million pound dilapidations disputes, and property related insolvency.
His practice encompasses commercial and residential landlord & tenant, development disputes, telecommunications Code work and professional negligence; together with an expanding practice of property related tax work.
Kester regularly undertakes multi-million pound trials in the High Court and test cases in specialist tribunals and has a burgeoning appellate practice, including appearing in the Supreme Court in CTIL v Compton Beauchamp [2022] UKSC 18, which is the seminal decision on the telecommunications code, and in M&S v BNP [2015] UKSC 72, which is the leading case on implied terms, break clauses and the apportionment of rent.
Kester regularly appears in the High Court, Upper Tribunal (Land Chamber), First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal and County Courts across the country; and often successfully appears alone against silk opponents.
Kester is currently engaged on a number of seminal contentious matters for Telecommunications operators and a large and complex rights to light dispute.
"Kester Lees is very strong and knowledgeable."
"A silk in the making - great on his feet and on papers. Very easy to work with and clients always rate him."
"Kester Lees is pretty much unparalleled at his level of call. He has a voracious appetite for unlocking knotty problems and almost always finds new ways of looking at things that make a difference."
"As a junior he stands out amongst his peers for his mature advice and strong advocacy skills."Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide 2024
‘Very bright, personable and easy to work with.‘
‘Kester is superb on his feet – a highly effective cross-examiner and all round advocate. He is equally as impressive on papers and always gives solid commercial advice.’Legal 500 2024
"Kester makes his perspective clear, very comprehensive and assertive; he guides judges in his advocacy."Chambers and Partners UK Guide 2023
"He's fantastic with clients, his work on paper is on point, and he is tenacious on his feet."Chambers and Partners UK Guide 2023
'Kester Lees is a very talented junior with impressive technical skills. He is a superb advocate and his ability to see a solution to the most difficult issues is unrivalled. A silk in the making.’Legal 500 2023
Kester Lees is a talented junior who handles all aspects of landlord and tenant and property law, including rectification of titles, adverse possession and insolvency matters. He has notable expertise in telecommunications. "He has great technical knowledge which he combines with an insight into the commercial position to help to get the practical solution clients want and need." "He has a brain the size of a planet. He's a very good advocate and he is excellent on paper."Chambers UK Guide 2022 (Real Estate Litigation)
"An exceptional advocate - first in class on paper, in court and conference. Meticulous eye to detail and encyclopedic knowledge of property law. My go to Counsel for title rectification and complex property related rectification work."Legal 500 2022
"Kester Lees is singled out as a "rising star in the property field" with market sources commending him as a "very good technical lawyer and a delightful opponent". Who’s Who Legal UK Bar Report 2022
Talented junior who handles all aspects of landlord and tenant and property law, including leasehold enfranchisement, adverse possession and insolvency matters. Strengths: "He is a brilliant junior - intelligent, thoughtful, client-friendly and clear in his communication. His drafting is well structured and his arguments very coherent." "He's very thorough, knowledgeable and very good with clients."Chambers and Partners UK Guide 2021 (Real Estate Litigation)
"His advice is clear and concise; translating complex concepts into simple, easy to understand advice. He is very responsive and strategic in his approach. He gained the trust and confidence of our lay client extremely quickly."Legal 500 2021
Talented junior who handles all aspects of landlord and tenant and property law, including leasehold enfranchisement, adverse possession and insolvency matters. Strengths: "Very approachable and contactable, as well as considered and bright. He is really going places." "Incredibly bright, user-friendly and accessible. Kester is technically superb, providing client-friendly opinion on the most complex matters." Recent work: Successfully represented the claimant in a £500,000 dilapidations case regarding a nightclub in Bristol.Chambers and Partners UK Guide 2020 (Real Estate Litigation)
"Bright, ambitious, helpful and dependableLegal 500 2020
"Talented junior who handles all aspects of landlord and tenant and property law, including leasehold enfranchisement, adverse possession and insolvency matters. Strengths: 'Reliable, efficient and commercial.' 'Persuasive on his feet and great with clients.' 'His excellent grasp of the law is combined with a very practical and commercial approach.' Recent work: Acted in the Canary Wharf v Lehman litigation, a high-value dispute concerning repudiatory breach and repudiatory damages in the leasehold context." Chambers UK Guide 2019 (Real Estate Litigation)
Kester stands out for his work on trusts and mortgages, adverse possession and easements. He is recognised as "utterly charming" and someone who "definitely deserves to be on the list". Who's Who Legal UK Bar 2019 GuideMore published comments