Michelle Caney

Practice Areas

Michelle Caney is an accomplished property litigator who can be trusted with cases of the utmost complexity. Her practice includes real estate litigation, commercial property, leasehold and landlord and tenant disputes. Michelle has notable experience in boundary disputes, easements, restrictive covenants, trusts of land and proprietary estoppel. Michelle is sought after for her technical knowledge in niche areas of law and is skilled in handling issues of fraud.

In the social housing arena, Michelle is singled out for her expertise in cases involving disability discrimination, mental capacity, public law and human rights issues. She is instructed in matters ranging from complex possession and injunction claims to judicial review and service charge / rent review disputes. Michelle regularly advises on matters of policy and strategic issues facing local authorities and registered providers of social housing.

Current significant work includes a landmark Supreme Court appeal concerning the scope of the Court’s jurisdiction to grant injunctions against Persons Unknown and an appeal to the Court of Appeal involving a challenge to the succession legislation under Article 14 ECHR.

Career

Year of Call (Middle Temple): 2004. Joined St Ives Chambers: 2005; Deputy Head of Housing Group (2012-2021); Deputy Head of Business and Property Group (2014-2021); Head of Business and Property Group (2021-2023). Joined St Philips Chambers: 2023.

Current cases of public importance: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Mailley [2022] EWHC 2328; LB of Barking and Dagenham and Others v Persons Unknown [2023] Q.B. 295.

Professional Memberships

Midland Chancery and Commercial Bar Association; Social Housing Law Association Midlands.