Karia and his garden where he's planning to plonk the pad
A solicitor-advocate has provoked the ire of his neighbours over his plans for a helipad in his garden, which will enable mega-wealthy clients to fly in.
Mayus Karia, is a "ferocious and meticulous" lawyer according to his bio on the London Litigation Partnership's website. Not hiding his light under a bushel, the bio states that Karia is a "genius in strategic planning of the case from start to finish and a confident team leader...akin to the genius of Field Marshal Montgomery in the battlefield"
While Monty was up against Rommel's German Afrika Corps, Karia may have to battle irate neighbours annoyed with his plans for a helipad in his garden.
Winchester City Council had previously granted Karia permission to construct the helipad, but limited its use to two personal round trips a month between 8am and 6pm.
However, the lawyer has now applied for unrestricted use to allow for multiple landings and take-offs. Karia's planning agent says in the application that "a loosening of the restriction" was needed "to allow flexibility of irregular visits by some clients."
The application states that Karia has several billionaire clients, including two high-profile Americans, who need to use the helipad to fly in for consultations.
However, some residents of Dudley village (population of around 1,000) are furious at the prospect of helicopters whizzing by, according to a report in The Times.
A number of the locals have filed objections with the council, with arguments including that the unrestricted flights could disturb pets and livestock.
Some have slammed the lawyer for his "selfish" actions, given that Southampton airport is just seven miles away, and there is also a small airfield nearby.
A retired neighbour in his 70s who lives opposite Karia’s property, with his wife, said they moved to the village for a “peaceful retirement”.
“I’m not opposed to a helicopter now and again, we can accept that, but it’s changed from personal and now sounds like it’s to fly his clients in,” said the neighbour. “Who knows, it could be three, four or six times a week. I don’t think it’s fitting with where we are - it’s not really for the village of Durley.”
Another neighbour complained: “It’s a rural area, there’s cattle and horses that are going to be spooked by a helicopter”. He said it would be “a detriment to the area and it’s not something you expect in Durley”.
One local singer-songwriter who has a studio said the noise could impact her work, and that she had chosen to move to the area "because it was so quiet."
However, not everyone opposed the plans. One resident farmer who had lived in the village for some 40 years said his cattle were used to hearing air traffic. "There are enough helicopters going over here already. They take no notice."
Karia did not respond to a request for comment.
It is not the first time that a lawyer has become embroiled in a row with their neighbours. One lawyer enraged a neighbour with his giant new mansion, another had a neighbourly spat over bee poo, and at least one lawyer has sought an injunction over a neighbour's growling toilet.
LawyerUp lets you receive expressions of interest from top firms and companies when they like you for a role. Grab it on the App Store and Google Play.
Comments
89
10
This whole thing is a massive piece of free advertising for this fellow, who was a complete non-entity before this story broke. I'll bet the biggest helicopter any of his clients owns came out of a shrink-wrapped box.
Oh - and he's not a barrister, RoF; he's a solicitor-advocate, [ROF: amended, ta] and the newspapers covering this story have all been told, by someone, that this is an incredibly small and elite group of lawyers. To the amazement of the thousands of us solicitor-advocate out there.
18
18
not heard of this chap but according to his website the Montgomery comparison came from a silk, rather than being made up, which makes it no worse than lots of other promotional guff solicitors and barristers put on their websites
27
10
Dudley or Durley?!
36
12
How dare you expect billionaires to travel 7 miles from an airport!
85
13
I can’t be the only one who is surprised that ‘several billionaires’ choose to send their legal work to ‘LLP Solicitors’…
65
10
He comes across as a spiv.
23
36
Insufferable people on both sides - the 'ferocious litigator' and his obnoxious and braggadocious profile page on one side; and the retired NIMBYs on the other, who are going to get oh so upset if they have to hear a noise for a few minutes a few times a week.
37
10
Field Marshal Montgomery would (easily) out-manoeuvre a few elderly villagers....
19
12
A re-read of Anthony Beevor's Arnhem should cause this ferocious litigator to rethink comparisons with Monty.
49
10
Nothing quite says you are worth £1,000 an hour as clients describing you as “above all very competent.“
33
11
A real Mozart of the courtroom by the sounds of things.
19
13
@Rommel - hard agree.
He's less Full Monty and more Special K.
20
9
Helo pilots like a reasonable glide path; not keen on lateral restrictions, aka trees…
30
12
Just wait until his neighbours realise that billionaire clients tend to use body guards, so helicopter landings will require suppressive fire and smoke grenades. Oh yes, lots of smoke grenades.
45
13
Has he actually worked on any reported cases? Even the junior barristers I deal with typically have a hatful of appeal court cases to their name.
I can't see this dude's name anywhere. For someone akin to Field Marshall Montgomery you would expect experience outside of the County Court.
23
13
Something something aircraft Karia.
27
13
He's a Sol-Adv, not a KC, so he "conferences" not "consultations".
24
9
It says something when a planning dispute makes it onto RoF. I am not sure what, but definitely something.
25
11
Full hilarious Facebook profile here
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=111602968192707
30
15
"For someone akin to Field Marshall Montgomery you would expect experience outside of the County Court."
Ah, but that's his unique tactical genius you see, his career is perfectly camouflaged at all times.
So he can move in total stealth, with the entire legal profession entirely unaware of his existence or career until such time as he chooses to break cover and tell us that he's actually London's biggest balling litigator advocate.
This was the week that he wanted to activate his trap card. Only in time will we come to appreciate the brilliance of it as a tactical play.
18
14
@Heffalump 28 July 23 08:48
Perhaps the silk's compliment was double edged
32
14
The last set of accounts suggest LLP solicitors made a profit of £200.. ferocious indeed
40
8
Having read his website bio, I can’t be the only one hoping to be against this fella one day. Just to be up close to the magic…
25
11
The accounts at Companies House make interesting reading. Not too many clients paying GBP 1,000 per hour then.....
26
9
I live just around the corner. It’s a vanity project which he is getting a load of publicity from. His garden isn’t that big and his house is sandwiched between a used car lot and a busy road. It was described in the local paper as a £1.2m “mansion”. Not sure what qualifies as mansion but pretty sure it’s not £1.2m, at least not round here.
His bio is worth a read for a laugh
16
15
this thread is classic ROF
18
8
Do a Google search and you will see why he wants his own airport based on him suing the state over his treatment at an airport...
18
10
"This whole thing is a massive piece of free advertising for this fellow, who was a complete non-entity before this story broke"
@Gobblepig - I'm really not sure that much has changed.
24
9
@anonymous 16:04: he's no longer a complete non-entity.
I guess that makes him an incomplete non-entity.
13
14
Anonymous 28 July 23 11:58
i suspect the outfit is run like chambers - with all the fees paid out to the relevant lawyer, and the trading entity therefore doesn’t want to make a profit. I guess there are no turnover figures?
17
9
Of greater interest was the resurrection of the Growling Toilet article linked above. Whatever became of James Morris? Did he ever get a good night's sleep or is he still kept awake by the chainsaw massacre toilet???
Comments