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
(Hall of Fame)The social housing team at Osbornes boasts extensive experience in representing clients with claims against local authorities and housing associations in mandates surrounding disrepair, possession, eviction warrants and illegal evictions, homelessness, and anti-social behaviour. Its client base often includes individuals who are vulnerable, suffer from mental health issues, lack capacity, and have language difficulties. Practice head William Ford is praised as ‘the best housing and social security lawyer in the sector’, and he predominately acts for tenants. Ford is also well-equipped to bring judicial review claims, and he has a strong focus on supporting migrants. Edward Taylor has a particular focus on representing disadvantaged individuals, including those who are homeless and those who have mental health difficulties. Disrepair and possession-related cases are a key strength of Taylor. Alex McMahon is another notable team member who practices across housing law, public law, and community care.
London > Public sector > Administrative and public law
(Leading partners)Osbornes has a particular strength in handling social housing challenges with a focus on homelessness and assisting children with disabilities. In addition to this, the team regularly handles community care judicial reviews. Described as ‘an outstanding public law solicitor’, Edward Taylor has experience acting for asylum-seeking minors in judicial reviews challenging age assessments; Alex McMahon is another recommended lawyer, who also specialises in complex age dispute cases. The practice is headed by William Ford.
Lawyer Rankings
- Hall of Fame London > Real estate > Social housing: tenant
- Leading partners London > Public sector > Administrative and public law
- Social housing: tenant London > Real estate
- Administrative and public law London > Public sector