Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Social Housing - London (Bar)

1
Band 1

What the Team is Known For

Doughty Street Chambers is an excellent housing set known for its capabilities in acting for tenants and applicants. The members are experts in possession proceedings and homelessness appeals, with a particular focus on matters involving community care considerations. A particular work highlight for the year was Westminster City Council v Kazam and Rahimi. One source notes: "The expertise at this Chambers sets them apart from others." Another adds that the set has "experienced, knowledgeable and approachable barristers who are easy to work with."

Sian Wilkins is the senior clerk.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

Sarah Steinhardt
Sarah Steinhardt
Star Individuals

Sarah Steinhardt is an effective, accomplished advocate with pronounced expertise in mental capacity and Equality Act issues in the context of social housing. Her impressive practice takes in homelessness cases and challenges to allocation schemes. She regularly handles disability discrimination matters as part of her diverse practice. Steinhardt is also recognised for her strength in housing benefit disputes.

Sarah provides extraordinary focus on the clients, and particularly homeless vulnerable women.

She fights really hard for her clients and is inspirational on her feet. Her advocacy is thorough, clear, authoritative and persuasive.

Sarah is an excellent barrister and tries to provide a holistic approach to her work and outcome for some very vulnerable clients.

A brilliant mind combined with a practical approach; she gets the best result for the client.

Sarah is a brilliant housing lawyer across the board, with phenomenal knowledge. She is able to break down technical issues and identify their practical impact quickly and clearly.

Zia Nabi
Star Individuals

Zia Nabi is a housing and social welfare specialist with significant experience advocating in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. He routinely handles public law challenges with regard to community care, social housing and human rights law.

Zia Nabi is a highly regarded barrister known for his expertise in housing law and public law. He brings a sharp analytical mind to complex cases.

He works in a productive way and is really approachable; it is really easy to talk strategy on cases with him and the cases he works on tend to reap excellent results.

A great advocate in all settings, able to make sense of the most difficult and complex housing cases.

1
Martin Westgate
1
Band 1

Martin Westgate KC is a respected leader of the public law team at Doughty Street and widely considered to be a go-to silk for tenants and applicants. He has been involved in high-profile cases concerning the housing benefit cap and the so-called 'bedroom tax'. He regularly acts on matters where human rights and housing law interact. A further area of expertise lies in advising local authorities on policy issues.

Martin is a top-class barrister who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of housing law. He produces high-quality pleadings and is able to deal quickly with complex issues.

Martin is extremely clever and generous with his time. He is very easy to work with. He would be my first choice on any housing matter which justified a KC.

2
Daniel Clarke
2
Band 2

Daniel Clarke has an impressive reputation for representing tenants in possession proceedings and homelessness appeals. He is particularly adroit at handling cases with elements of community care and garners praise for his ability to engage with clients who lack capacity. He is also frequently instructed in disrepair and unlawful eviction claims.

Dan is an excellent barrister. He is highly intelligent, never misses any legal point and can quickly grasp very complex issues. He provides high-quality pleadings and advice.

He is excellent with paperwork, extremely knowledgeable, an excellent advocate and a pleasure to work with.

Simply put, Daniel is a housing law genius. He is methodical, logical and obtains excellent results for his clients.

Daniel is a superb lawyer but also very approachable, and excellent on his feet, with great tactical instincts.

2
David Carter
2
Band 2

David Carter is an established advocate with substantial experience acting for both private and public sector clients in landlord and tenant and local government issues. He is recommended for his skilful handling of matters that have a public law or human rights element, and is especially well regarded for his expert handling of homelessness appeals.

David Carter has formidable experience in this area of law and can be consistently relied upon to provide excellent drafting and a pragmatic way forward, taking account of commercial constraints.

David is an excellent barrister who is very experienced and knowledgeable. He is friendly, approachable and very easy to work with.

2
Dominic Preston
2
Band 2

Dominic Preston elicits praise for his homelessness expertise, encompassing priority need and intentionality cases, and Court of Protection and antisocial behaviour work. He is also known for his ability to handle complex disrepair and unlawful eviction claims, and is increasingly sought after by clients in possession proceedings. He is able to draw on broader knowledge of human rights, EU and immigration law to inform his housing practice.

Dominic always has a brain the size of the planet, and such humility.

He has a broad range of legal knowledge and produces high-quality work. He gives insightful suggestions for how to progress tricky matters.

2
Jamie Burton
2
Band 2

Jamie Burton KC is a well-respected litigator with a strong reputation for his judicial review work. He is held in esteem for his adroit handling of homelessness cases and landlord and tenant disputes, and offers particularly in-depth knowledge of the Housing Act 1996. Commentators note that he has an exceptionally strong grasp of human rights law.

Jamie is the best housing law silk there is. He is always on top of the details and the big picture. His analysis and advocacy are second to none.

2
Matthew Lee
2
Band 2

Matthew Lee is a strong junior with significant market recognition for his appearances in notable reported cases. He acts in possession cases and antisocial behaviour claims, among other disputes, including those relating to the Equality Act 2010.

Matthew Lee is a highly skilled and knowledgeable barrister with a strong reputation in social housing and public law.

Matthew is the leading barrister in the field of disrepair and housing conditions. He thinks outside the box and really knows his stuff.

I really enjoy working with Matt; he has a can-do approach to the law and is not afraid to think outside the box.

4
Alice Irving
4
Band 4

Alice Irving handles mandates across all areas of housing law, such as possession claims, anti-social behaviour injunctions and closure orders. She also has experience in accommodation, disrepair and homelessness disputes.

Alice is very good at dealing with vulnerable clients.

She is one of my go-to juniors, especially with complex housing law issues with an aspect of public law. She is precise and clear in her drafting and her advice is very holistic.

A very clear thinker, and an excellent, forceful advocate, with an excellent grasp of discrimination issues in housing matters.

4
David Cowan
4
Band 4

David Cowan frequently acts on homelessness and housing duty matters as well as landlord and tenant mandates. Alongside his thriving practice, he is Professor of Law and Policy at the University of Bristol, where he teaches property and housing law.

He is very good and thoughtful.

4
Marie Paris
4
Band 4

Marie Paris is a solid social housing practitioner who is regularly instructed to represent vulnerable people in homelessness matters, judicial reviews and anti-social behaviour cases. She also has in-depth experience in possession proceedings.

Marie is a dynamic and committed barrister who leaves no stone unturned.

Marie has carving out a niche for herself as one of the best juniors working at the cutting edge of social housing law. She revels in the challenge of complex work and taking on novel points of law.

Marie Paris is excellent with clients and a very capable advocate on the page and in court.

4
Rea Murray
4
Band 4

Rea Murray has a wide-ranging and well-regarded social housing practice. She is an expert in such matters as homelessness and Equality Act matters. She has experience at all levels of court up to the Supreme Court.

Rea Murray is a highly respected barrister, known for her expertise in housing law, particularly in complex possession proceedings, disrepair claims, and homelessness cases.

Rea has done excellent drafting work for me.

Ranked Barristers at
Doughty Street Chambers

Provided by Chambers
Filter by
Band

Silks (KC)

London (Bar)

Social Housing

1
Martin Westgate KC
1
Band 1
2
Jamie Burton KC
2
Band 2

Juniors

London (Bar)

Social Housing

Sarah Steinhardt
Sarah Steinhardt
Star Individuals
Zia Nabi
Star Individuals
2
Daniel Clarke
2
Band 2
2
David Carter
2
Band 2
2
Dominic Preston
2
Band 2
2
Matthew Lee
2
Band 2
4
Alice Irving
4
Band 4
4
David Cowan
4
Band 4
4
Marie Paris
4
Band 4
4
Rea Murray
4
Band 4