Donna McCarthy > Devonshires Solicitors LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Devonshires Solicitors LLP
30 FINSBURY CIRCUS
LONDON
EC2M 7DT
England

Work Department

Housing Management

Position

Donna is the Head of Devonshires’ Housing Management and Property Litigation department. She heads up a team advising on all aspects of housing management law and practice, acting for Local Authorities, Registered Providers and private landlords in complex litigation, including possession proceedings; actions to restrain Anti-Social Behaviour; injunctions and disrepair actions. She also advises social landlords on matters of housing policy and procedure. She has particular specialism in matters relating to mental health, capacity and safeguarding and is part of the Devonshires Care Group. Donna heads up LandlordPLUS, a service dedicated to social and private landlords offering properties for market rent.

Donna is Devonshires Solicitors most prolific trainer, regularly presenting seminars to clients and is responsible for co-ordinating the Housing Management training programme. She is a regular speaker at internal and external events and has spoken at conferences held by the NHF, Capita, Resolve ASB and the Law Society. She also speaks in schools as part of the Inspiring the Future programme.

Donna is actively involved in Devonshires Corporate Social Responsibility Programme and is a trustee of the Devonshires Charitable Foundation.

Career

Donna started her legal career in the in house legal team at the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, combining part time studies with a mixed litigation practice including housing law. She qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in 1994 and has specialised in housing law ever since. Between 1994 and 1999 she worked for TV Edwards and HCL Hanne and Co, predominantly advising and representing tenants with particular specialism in representing those with mental health problems and capacity issues, regularly taking instructions from the Official Solicitor before joining Devonshires in 1999.

Memberships

Donna is an active member of Resolve ASB (formerly the Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group) and has presented a number of seminars for them at both regional and national level. She is also a member of the National Landlord’s Association.

Education

Chelmsford College FE (FILEX).

Leisure

Donna is an enthusiastic if unskilled cook who enjoys reading, kick boxing and tap dancing.

Lawyer Rankings

London > Real estate > Social housing: local authorities and registered providers

(Leading individuals)

Donna McCarthy Devonshires Solicitors LLP

Devonshires Solicitors LLP‘s market-leading social housing practice has an established reputation advising new entrants into the sector, including for-profit registered providers, as well as providing services to not-for-profit and private registered providers and local authorities. Head of social housing Andrew Cowan has over 30 years’ experience in banking and governance work within the sector. Triya Maicha co-heads the real estate and projects team and has over 17 years’ experience assisting registered providers on complex development, joint ventures, and large-scale regeneration projects. Maicha leads the team alongside Jonathan Corris, who works with the firm’s corporate and governance team on structures for the delivery and funding of clients’ development programmes. The firm has been at the forefront of advice on the rent reform, with Samantha Grix taking a leading role in this matter, following her promotion to partner in April 2022. Matthew Waters advises a range of organisations, particularly on the corporate, governance, and regulatory aspects of social housing transactions. With the opening of a new Birmingham office, the housing and management and property litigation team, led by Donna McCarthy, has noted an increase in work assisting registered providers with tenancies, management agreements, and compliance with the Regulatory Standards.