William Ford > Osbornes > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Osbornes Offices
LIVERY HOUSE
7-9 PRATT STREET
LONDON
NW1 0AE
England
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William Ford
Work Department
Housing and Social Care
Position
Partner
Career
William is an experienced housing and public law solicitor who is committed to achieving great results for his clients. He often acts in cases where clients are extremely vulnerable and require action to be taken at very short notice. He takes a practical approach to cases from the outset and believes in the importance of providing clear and concise advice to his clients at all stages of litigation.
- Specialist in housing, community care, welfare benefits and public law
- Named as a leading individual in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners directories
- A finalist in 2016 for Legal Aid Lawyer of the year in the category of Children’s rights
William undertakes all types of housing work. He specialises in landlord and tenant cases, as well as having knowledge of trust of land disputes. He has particular expertise in assisting those facing homelessness or eviction from their home, as well as housing disrepair (acting for tenants, leaseholders, and landlords) and Judicial Review claims involving housing law.
William is also a community care specialist, with expertise in cases involving the rights of children and care leavers under the Children Act 1989. He also deals with cases involving adult social services to ensure that clients with disabilities receive the care and support to which they are legally entitled.
Additionally William specialises in public law as well as having considerable experience and knowledge of cases concerning welfare benefits. He has experience in bringing judicial review claims against local authorities and other public bodies and is committed to acting for extremely vulnerable children or adult clients with specialist needs. He has a particular interest in cases with an EU law or immigration element, often where these issues overlap in cases concerning housing, community care or welfare benefits entitlement.
William also works to identify strategic litigation challenges with a view to positively changing the law in appropriate cases.Partener
William joined Osbornes as a trainee in 2004, qualified as a solicitor in 2006, and was made a partner at the firm in 2016.
Memberships
William is a member of the executive of the Housing Lawyers Practitioners Association (HLPA). He also represents client on the duty advocate scheme at the County Court at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Real estate > Social housing: tenant
(Leading individuals)The social housing team at Osbornes is led by William Ford, a ‘standout‘ expert in all aspects of social housing who is ‘involved in cutting-edge cases in the higher courts as well as invaluable frontline work‘. Ford is particularly notable in community care matters and its crossover with housing law, an area which is a growing specialism for the team. The team has demonstrable experience in advising clients on issues involving vulnerable clients who have claims against local authorities and housing associations. Senior associate Edward Taylor is dedicated to acting for disadvantaged individuals, particularly those who are homeless and individuals with mental health problems. The group has developed expertise in several specialist areas, such as advising EU nationals on their legal status and bringing challenges in asylum age assessment cases. Senior associate Alex McMahon has experience running Equality Act and human rights defences.
London > Public sector > Administrative and public law
(Leading individuals)Osbornes is highly regarded for conducting judicial review challenges against local authorities and the SSHD, especially in regard to adverse age assessments for unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors. The team is led by William Ford, who has brought numerous successful judicial review challenges on behalf of a wide range of claimants, including homeless applicants, care leavers, disabled persons, migrants subjected to a hostile environment, and social security claimants. Alex McMahon advises on issues concerning housing, community care, and asylum support, while senior associate Edward Taylor focuses on protecting the rights of children, regularly working with international charities to do so.