Christopher Baker > 4-5 Gray's Inn Square > London, England > Barrister Profile

Christopher Baker

020 7404 5252 cbaker@4-5.co.uk

Position

After becoming established at the Bar in a wide range of litigation with an increasing focus on property-related work. Since then, he has developed a practice which combines the private law aspects of housing and landlord and tenant law alongside public law and judicial review work, with a particular emphasis on local government and human rights. He feels a personal commitment to the development of the law in these areas, as well as being professionally committed to fight for the interests of his clients. His litigation experience covers all courts up to and including the House of Lords, in addition to tribunal and arbitration work. Much his case work has involved cutting-edge issues and landmark decisions by the higher courts, including most recently as leading junior for the Housing Corporation in the House of Lords in Riverside HA v White (RSL rent increases), as leading junior for the local authority in the Court of Appeal in R (Lin) v Barnet LBC (challenge to housing allocation policy) and as sole counsel for the Secretary of State in the Court of Appeal in White v Knowsley HT (effect of standard form N28 ‘suspended’ possession order on assured tenancy). His work also involves keeping clients out of court, and a substantial portfolio of advisory work. He has advised in relation to a wide range of projects and problems, including the Channel Tunnel link, the management and repair of the Barbican estate, major regeneration schemes, local government standards committees and Standards Board investigations, e-government, local land charge search arrangements, allocations schemes, and human rights compliance. Christopher’s clients come from across the country and in other legal jurisdictions. He has acted for a wide range of public bodies, social landlords, commercial and private clients. His instructions come from all types of professional clients, from big City firms through to sole practitioners, in-house solicitors, and BarDIRECT clients. Outside legal practice, he is an author and speaker on his areas of specialisation and interest, with a number of published titles and an extensive portfolio of articles to his name. His most recent book, ‘Local Government Liability Law’, was published by Sweet & Maxwell in 2007. He is frequently asked to address national conferences. Notable cases include: Riverside Housing Association Ltd v White [2007] UKHL 20 – intervening for the Housing Corporation, as to whether an RSL rent increase was recoverable under the terms of its standard form tenancy agreement; very important issues about the use of estoppel against the tenants were not decided, though they formed one of the main elements of the appeal; White v Knowsley Housing Trust [2007] EWCA Civ 404 – intervening for the Secretary of State, as to whether a ‘suspended’ possession order in the standard form N28 had the effect of turning an assured tenant into a tolerated trespasser; R (Lin) v Barnet LBC [2007] EWCA Civ 132 – challenge alleging that housing allocation policy was unlawful in relation to homeless persons; Hyams v Wilfred East London Housing Co-operative, Lands Tribunal 14 Nov 2006, LTL 28/3/07 – recovery of improvement contributions under right to buy lease and operation of s125 notice.

Career

Called 1984; Middle Temple. Publications: Christopher is an editor of ‘The Encyclopedia of Local Government Law’ (Sweet & Maxwell), author of ‘Local Government Liability Law’ (Sweet & Maxwell, 2007), co-author of ‘Housing Law: Pleadings in Practice’ (Sweet & Maxwell, 2nd edition 2003), co-author of ‘Housing and Human Rights Law’ (LAG, 2001), and general editor of ‘Human Rights Act 1998: A Practitioner’s Guide’ (Sweet & Maxwell, 1998). For many years, he has written a regular column in ‘Solicitors Journal’ on local government law, as well as contributing articles to a range of legal journals on housing and local government issues.

Memberships

ALBA; HLPA; SHLA; PBA.

• Constitutional & Administrative Law Bar Association
• Housing Law Practitioners’ Association
• Property Bar Association
• Social Housing Law Association

Education

MA (Cantab); LLM (Lond).