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Doughty Street Chambers

53-54 DOUGHTY STREET, LONDON, WC1N 2LS, ENGLAND
Tel:
Work 020 7404 1313
Fax:
Fax 020 7404 2283
DX:
223 LONDON CHANCERY LANE
Web:
www.doughtystreet.co.uk
Email:
Manchester, London, Bristol

Robert Latham

Email:
Doughty Street Chambers ()

Position

Robert is a housing specialist, but acts in other areas of public law including community care and child care law. His practice includes elements of immigration law, EU law, discrimination law, and human rights law. He primarily acts for claimants, but has advised local housing authorities on their allocation schemes and the Tenants Services Authority on their regulatory powers. He has recently been appointed a part-time Lawyer Chair of the Residential Property Tribunal Service. He is a leading member of the Housing Law Practitioner's Association and regularly lectures. He contributes to Legal Action. In December 2008, he was named Legal Aid Barrister of the Year. Recent cases: R (M) v Croydon LBC (Court of Appeal. 14.3.12, judgment awaited). The appeal raises an important point of principle relating to the liability for costs where a local authority takes a pragmatic decision to concede an application for judicial review; R (Deane Thomas) v Legal Services Commission. Advised on two judicial reviews against the LSC's decision to cap the payment to surveyor's at £50ph under CLS (Funding) (Amendment No.2) Order 2011 as opposed to the market rate of £95ph; R (Barnet Federation of Allotment and Horticultural Societies) v Barnet LBC. Advised allotments holders on judicial review which led Barnet to withdraw proposal to increase their rents by 200%; Kay v UK (ECtHR, App No.37341/06, 21.9.2010): Robert drafted third party submissions for the Equality and Human Rights Commission in respect of the impact of Article 8 on possession proceedings; Ravichandran v Lewisham LBC [2010] HLR 42: the Court of Appeal addressed difficult issues as to the circumstances in which the "full housing duty" under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 may be discharged through the offer of permanent accommodation.

Career

Called 1976; Middle Temple; barrister Doughty Street since 1999; currently vice-chair (Civil) of the Bar Council's Remuneration Committee and an Executive Committee member of the Housing Law Practitioners Association. Publications of note: regularly contributes to Legal Action and other housing publications.

Member

Housing Law Practitioners Association; Administrative Law Bar Association.

Education

Selwyn College, Cambridge (2:1 Law)

Leisure

Photography, squash, travel, opera.

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