Property dispute expert joins pubco mediation process

A legal expert in landlord and tenant disputes has been recruited to help with the industry's pubco mediation process - which formally kicks-off again in early September.

Jenny Hermer, who specialises in property litigation for Lester Aldridge LLP, will act as a solicitor for the process - which is aiming for some legally binding reforms over how the pubco model is operated.

Hermer also deals with rent reviews in her current role.

As part of the mediation process, she will help set-up a series of "initial mediations" involving the different parties involved over the summer.

Barrister Jeremy Phillips, who has chaired the first two meetings, said: "Our next step will be to hold a series of meetings between the relevant parties in early September with a view to addressing the issues raised in the Business and Enterprise Select Committee report."

The hard-hitting report, released in May, was highly critical of how the pubco model is run, claiming that "abuse occurs" against licensees.

The mediation meetings have so far seen Punch Taverns sit down with anti-tie campaign group Fair Pint - along with a host of other trade representatives.

Earlier this month, leading barrister Michael Kallipetis QC was appointed to help with the process. He is expected to come in at the end of the mediation to make any agreements legally binding.

The industry has until October to sort out the issues, after the government accepted BEC chairman Peter Luff's recommendation that it delays its response to the report until then.

Since then CAMRA has lodged a super-complaint with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) about the beer tie. The OFT must respond by the middle of October.