Riah Sattar

Specialisms

Riah Sattar is a litigation solicitor and Head of Dispute Resolution at Thomas Mansfield Solicitors. She leads a nationally recognised team known for delivering practical, strategic, and cost-effective advice in complex disputes.

Riah specialises in civil, commercial and private client litigation, advising clients on a broad range of contentious matters. Her expertise includes contractual disputes, shareholder and partnership disagreements, and contentious probate involving wills, trusts and estate administration.

Riah has extensive expertise in property disputes and landlord and tenant matters, including tenant eviction proceedings. She frequently acts in cases involving contested legal or beneficial ownership, rights of occupation, and disputed contractual obligations, as well as disputes concerning assets held jointly, in trust or through corporate structures. Her commercial practice includes cross-border contractual claims, unfair prejudice petitions and debt recovery and enforcement strategies. She draws on her experience to resolve disputes swiftly and effectively.

Riah is a strong advocate of alternative dispute resolution, including negotiation and mediation. She always considers the most economical and efficient route to achieving a favourable outcome.

Experience & approach

As a highly experienced dispute solicitor, Riah leads the litigation team with a client-focused, strategic mindset. She combines strong technical knowledge with a practical understanding of risk, cost and commercial impact - ensuring that her clients are always equipped with clear options and sound advice.

Riah acts for a wide range of clients, from individuals and SMEs to company directors and property owners. She is experienced in managing complex litigation through the courts, including the High Court and County Court, and is equally confident resolving disputes outside of court where appropriate.

Before joining Thomas Mansfield, Riah worked as a senior litigation solicitor at a leading UK insurer. There, she handled high-value and complex claims on behalf of businesses, partnerships and individuals - an experience that sharpened her tactical approach and ability to manage risk in litigation.

Riah qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in 2018 and cross-qualified as a solicitor in 2019. She holds an LLB (Hons) from City, University of London and completed the Legal Practice Course and LLM at the University of Law.

In 2026, under Riah’s leadership, the Dispute Resolution team was shortlisted for ‘Dispute Resolution Team of the Year’ at the LexisNexis Legal Awards – a testament to the team’s impact, innovation and excellence in the field.

Notable work

• As part of a team represented a Premier League footballer in a high-profile, financial services dispute involving fees and advice provided over several years. The matter was litigated in the Financial List of the High Court and attracted widespread media coverage.
• Advised an international company in a complex cross-border commercial dispute against a UK-based payment processing provider in liquidation, involving withheld revenue and breach of contract. The case raised multi-jurisdictional enforcement and insolvency issues.
• Acted for beneficiaries in a multi-million-pound estate dispute involving residential and commercial properties held through a complex web of partnerships, companies, and personal ownership.
• Provided strategic oversight on succession planning, equitable interests, and executor obligations.
• Successfully defended an executor against a claim of undue influence and lack of capacity in a contested will challenge, ensuring the deceased’s wishes were upheld and preventing further litigation costs for the estate.
• Acted in a proprietary estoppel claim between siblings involving jointly owned real estate, rental income disputes, and conflicting representations spanning two decades. Negotiated a favourable out-of-court resolution preserving the client’s beneficial interest.