The barristers at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square have significant expertise in the social housing sector, advising and representing clients on the full range of social housing disputes. Iain Colville represented the appellants in Hajjaj v City of Westminster; Akhter v Waltham Forest LBC, challenging the authorities decision regarding the suitability of accommodation offered in the private rented sector. Andrew Dymond has extensive experience in social housing law with a particular focus on possession claims, regulatory work and homelessness, and notably he has represented the survivors and relatives of the Grenfell Tower enquiry. Philippa Seal represents the defendant in Metropolitan Housing Trust Ltd v McMahon, opposing a possession claim on public law grounds.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks were friendly and David Penson has always gone out of his way to assist us.'
- 'Very strong clerks, highly organised, friendly and efficient and who go above and beyond. I particularly rate Stephen Somerville, Emily Martin and William Mourino.'
- 'The clerks are extremely helpful and very responsive. In particular I have lots of help from Emily Martin (senior clerk) and Stephen Somerville but all are helpful.'
- 'The clerks’ room is highly efficient and user-friendly, with excellent communication and flexibility around urgent or sensitive instructions. They understand the pressures facing solicitors and always seek to facilitate workable, timely solutions. Emily Martin is just fantastic and goes over and beyond.''
- 'The clerks are professional, accommodating, and commercially astute, often going above and beyond to ensure availability and strategic fit for each instruction. The service is always efficient and personable, which adds significant value to solicitor–counsel collaboration. Emily Martin is exceptional and very accommodating. 4-5 are our go-to chambers.'
- 'This is an excellent set, which offers a wide-selection of barristers for a wide-range of work.'
Lawyers
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Jonathan Manning
Toby Vanhegan
'Toby is an exceptionally intelligent and polished advocate, known for his clarity, his advocacy is calm yet authoritative, with a formidable presence in appellate courts.'
Iain Colville
'Iain has a wealth of knowledge in social housing and he has the ability to pick up difficult points and run with them'
Andrew Dymond
‘Andrew has a huge knowledge and depth of experience in the law relating to social housing, especially on complex issues including governance and regulation, as well as litigation.’
Ian Peacock
'Ian is extremely pleasant to work with, and he is extremely knowledgeable in the field of homelessness and allocations but also assists with other types of claims which arise from time to time.'
Stephanie Smith
'Stephanie is a compelling advocate, she is measured, precise and highly persuasive, who combines strong legal analysis with excellent client care. Her written work is meticulously reasoned, and she excels in both first instance and appeal proceedings.'
Annette Cafferkey
'Annette has a very keen eye for detail. She prepares diligently and thoroughly, and will always go the extra mile to present her case eloquently and knowledgeably. Her advocacy is well considered and measured.'
Philippa Seal
‘Easy to work with, intelligent and efficient.‘
