Michelle Caney

Practice Areas

Michelle Caney is an accomplished business and property barrister who can be trusted with cases of the utmost complexity. Her practice encompasses real estate and chancery litigation (including boundaries, easements, options, overage, restrictive covenants and trusts of land), landlord and tenant (including business leases, break clauses, dilapidations, forfeiture and service charges) and professional negligence claims involving property. Michelle is adept at handling cases involving fraud and forgeries. In the social housing sphere, she is singled out for her expertise in disability discrimination, mental capacity, public law and human rights. Michelle is particularly well known for her work in the fast paced world of protest injunctions and has been involved in a number of the leading cases involving Persons Unknown.

Career

Year of Call: 2004.

St Ives Chambers (2005-2023). Head of Business and Property Group.

St Philips Chambers (2023-present). Head of Real Estate Team.

Notable cases: Wolverhampton City Council v London Gypsies and Travellers [2023] UKSC 47 - Landmark Supreme Court appeal concerning the Court’s jurisdiction to grant injunctions against Persons Unknown; Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Mailley [2023] EWCA Civ 1246 - Novel incompatibility challenge to the succession legislation; The University of Birmingham v Persons Unknown [2024] EWHC 544 - High profile possession claim arising out of Gaza protest encampments; Scalora v Clarion Housing Association Limited [2024] EWHC 1414 - £1.1m unlawful eviction claim involving allegations of cyber fraud.

Professional Memberships

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