Barrister Category: Tenants

Annette is an experienced, dual-qualified legal practitioner. She is admitted to the Bar of England and Wales and also enrolled as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana. Following her call to the Bar in Ghana, she gained valuable prosecutorial experience, independently conducting cases before both the Superior and Lower Courts on behalf of the Attorney General.

Annette is qualified to accept public access instructions and has been accredited for public access instructions since 2022.

Annette is a family law specialist with substantial experience across the full spectrum of private law and public law children’s proceedings, financial remedies and applications under the Family Law Act 1996.

Annette is instructed to appear at all levels of the Family Court including the High Court and is confident in handling complex and sensitive matters across her areas of practice.

CIVIL

Advising and representing claimants and defendants in high value contract law disputes often involving breach of contract and/or misrepresentation.

HOUSING

Advising and representing tenants and licensees in housing law matters involving private landlords, housing associations and local authorities in the following areas :

Section 21 possession matters

Identifying, advising and conducting court advocacy utilising defences to section 21 possession claims involving, for example, Gas Safety Records, Energy Performance Certificates, How to Rent Booklets, Deposits, the Tenant Fees Act 2019, Standing, Notices. Drafting defences and counterclaims, written submissions and skeleton arguments in support.

Section 8 possession matters

Identifying, advising and conducting court advocacy in section 8 possession claims involving mandatory and discretionary grounds : breaches of tenancy, rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, succession and illegal evictions.

Homelessness

Drafting written advices on the legality of Local Authorities discharging their main housing duty and advices on obtaining interim relief, drafting Statements Of Facts And Grounds (SOFAG) and Judicial Review grounds, conducting advocacy at telephone and in-person hearings.

Housing Disrepair

Advising on quantum, drafting questions for expert surveyors, court advocacy at track allocation hearings and at trial.

Applications

Set aside, strike out, relief from sanctions, extension of time, staying / suspending warrants of execution.

Committal Hearings

Representing tenants at committal hearings for breach of injunctions pursuant to the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Appeals

Section 204 appeals in the County Court, County Court Appeals before Circuit Judges, Judicial Review appeals, leapfrog appeals to the Court of Appeal (Civil Division).

Reported housing cases

• Switaj v McClenaghan| [2024] EWCA Civ 1457

Unreported housing cases

• AK v LS – Tenant Awarded £53,000 Damages For Unlawful Eviction

• PB v Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea – Accommodation pending appeal – a mandatory order on a section 204A appeal

• A v L – Can a landlord evict his own wife ?

• Clarke v Royal Borough of Greenwich – (download judgment HERE) Central London County Court, 03 August 2026

EMPLOYMENT & DISCRIMINATION

Advising and representing in employment law matters in the following areas :

Discrimination

Discrimination claims with a particular interest in cases involving race, disability and sex.

Unfair / Constructive Dismissal

Unfair dismissal and constructive dismissal claims.

Whistleblowing

Claims involving protected disclosures.

Mediation

Attending and advising clients at judicial mediations.

INQUIRIES & INVESTIGATIONS

Junior Counsel (2019-2022) to the Dobbs Inquiry into Lloyds Banking Group chaired by Dame Linda Dobbs DBE.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

• Bar Professional Training Course (City Law School) – Very Competent (Outstanding in Civil Advocacy)
• Graduate Diploma in Law (City Law School) – Distinction in Constitutional and Administrative Law
• MSc International Employment Relations (London School of Economics and Political Science) – Merit (Distinction for MSc dissertation – “British Trade Unions and the EU social dimension”)
• BA (Hons) European Studies with Spanish (University of Manchester) – First Class

LECTURING

• City Law School, LLB, Employability Module.
• Boston University, Introduction to English Law course.

ADVISORY WORK

Law Centres Network

Advisor to the Law Centres Network (“LCN”). Curator of LCN’s 2022 annual conference – ‘Racial Justice and the role of Law Centres in dismantling systemic racism’, which featured high-profile UK and internationally based speakers such as Attorney Benjamin Crump, Attorney Jasmine Rand and Lord Anthony Gifford KC.

Black South West Network

Advisor to Black South West Network (“BSWN”). BSWN is a racial justice organisation based in Bristol, South West England. In September 2023, Miranda chaired BSWN’s first ever ‘Race and Justice’ conference, which was held at Burges Salmon LLP. The aim of the Race and Justice conference was to highlight and collectively tackle common issues in the racial justice sector (specifically, access to justice) by bringing together people in the South West from community organisers, community leaders, activists, legal professionals, and policy influencers.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• Criminal Bar Association
• Employment Lawyers Association
• Housing Law Practitioners Association
• Society of Labour Lawyers

TRUSTEE BOARD MEMBERSHIPS

Bernie Grant Arts Centre

Former interim Chair, now Company Secretary, of the Bernie Grant Arts Centre. The Bernie Grant Arts Centre is a unique multi-art form venue in Tottenham, North London, inspired by the vision of the late Bernie Grant MP to create a flagship performing arts centre that would become a home for diverse artists, audiences and creative businesses.

Windrush Justice Clinic

Advisory Board member of the Windrush Justice Clinic, an award-winning partnership made up of community organisations, law centres and universities that supports victims of the Windrush Scandal to apply for compensation and realise their rights.

AWARDS

• Wintrade Global 2023 PESTLED Awards – Excellence in Law(2023)
• LawWorks Pro Bono Award for Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership – (Haringey Law Centre) (2017)
• Law Centres Network Reita Clarke Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement(2014)
• Halsbury Legal Award – Pro Bono Team of the Year – (Hackney Community Law Centre) (2013)
• Law Society Excellence Award for Excellence in Innovation(Hackney Community Law Centre) (Finalist) (2012)

INTERESTS AND HOBBIES

Miranda loves the arts. She has played the cello, piano and steel pans since childhood and now sings (alto) with the Leytonstone Chorale. She is also a trustee of the Bernie Grant Arts Centre and sits on the advisory board of the Windrush Justice Clinic. As an East Londoner who grew up one street away from the football ground of the mighty Leyton Orient FC, Miranda is an enthusiastic Leyton Orient season ticket holder. In her spare time, Miranda also acts as both a formal and informal mentor to many aspiring barristers from secondary school students right through to adult career changers – she is an official mentor for the BME Legal programme and also assists the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple’s Students’ Association with student workshops and events. Miranda is a huge supporter of Barack Obama and is extremely proud to have volunteered with Obama’s first presidential campaign, in London and Florida, as a legal observer, phone bank captain and campaign organiser.

Family Law

Nathan is regularly instructed in private law children work for both applicants and respondents and is frequently recommended by professional and lay clients alike. He has appeared in complex fact-finding and final hearings, cases concerning serious allegations such as that of sexual abuse and has successfully appeared in the High Court.

Nathan regularly appears on behalf of parents and children at all stages of contested public law children matters, including cases involving serious neglect and non-accidental injury.

He is also regularly instructed to act for applicants seeking emergency injunctive relief at all stages of a case, occupation orders and transfers of tenancy, and has developed a reputation for providing high standards of client care whilst handling matters pragmatically, robustly and delivering persuasive advocacy.

Charlotte practices in family law, with a focus on cases involving children. She has significant experience in both public and private children law matters, and is regularly instructed on behalf of parents and on behalf of children (through their Guardians). She routinely appears in the Family Court and in the Family Division of the High Court and has been involved with matters in the Court of Appeal.

Charlotte has a keen eye for detail and is quick to hone in upon the key issues in any given matter. However, Charlotte is always interested in the ‘wider picture’ in the cases she deals with.  Her common law training and early years of tenancy (which were spent practising in both civil litigation and a full range of family law matters, including financial remedy cases) often provide helpful perspective in terms of litigation approach. Charlotte is particularly interested in public law family cases which involve housing or accommodation issues.

Charlotte seeks to work collaboratively with her instructing solicitors and professional clients, and enjoys building lasting working relationships in this context. She has extensive experience of working with vulnerable lay clients, particularly those who have faced significant challenges associated with domestic abuse, alcohol and/or substance misuse, or by virtue of their mental health and/or capacity. Charlotte has undertaken the Family Law Bar Association’s Vulnerable Witness Training.

The majority of Charlotte’s work is in London (where she is based) and the home counties, but she also welcomes instructions further afield. Charlotte is very happy to develop new connections with solicitors firms outside London. Prior to her call to the Bar, Charlotte worked part time in a number of solicitors firms in South West England – as well as for an extended period at a firm in Beijing, China. These experiences have proven invaluable, particularly as Charlotte is acutely aware of the demands on her instructing solicitors’ time.

Guy came to the Bar after a successful career as a financial journalist. He completed pupillage at 9 (now 7) Bedford Row and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), where he was pupil to Director Ros Wright. Staying at the SFO at the request of then Assistant Director Robert Wardle to assist in the prosecution of Turkish-Cypriot businessman Asil Nadir, he joined the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2001 in order to develop his advocacy skills.

Crime

As Senior Crown Prosecutor, Guy was responsible for prosecuting serious crimes in one of the most crime-ridden boroughs in London. His caseload encompassed offences of attempted murder, rape, conspiracy to defraud and serious public order offences, along with volume crime such as domestic assault and theft.

He regularly provided skeleton arguments in support of section 6(1) committals to the Crown Court and to counter abuse of process or case dismissal applications by the defence.

Guy has prosecuted cases for London’s elite police units, including SCD6 (Metropolitan Police Economic Crime, commonly known as the Met’s “Fraud Squad”), CP3 (City of London Police Fraud Squad), SCD11 (Metropolitan Police Covert Operations) and CO14 (Metropolitan Police Clubs and Vice).

All this experience has been invaluable in providing a robust and informed service to professional and lay defence clients. A thorough knowledge of the workings of the CPS is extremely helpful in countering unrealistic applications by the Crown in court, or negotiating sensible plea bargains for clients.

Family

Guy practices in both public and private family law in the County Court and High Court. He has substantial experience in applications for Family Law Act (non-molestation and occupation orders) and Children Act orders, in both agreed and contested matters. Clients have praised Guy’s robust advocacy skills. In care work, Guy has acted both for parents and the children’s Guardian.

As a skilled cross-examiner, he enjoys the cut and thrust of the courtroom, but will always seek consensus when it is in the best interests of the client

Ann graduated in LLB Law from the University of Birmingham and BA History from the University of Warwick. Whilst completing her History degree, Ann worked at a local solicitor’s office as a filing clerk and as a volunteer at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

Ann passed the Bar Vocational Course in 1998 and upon gaining a tenancy in 2000, Ann initially had a mixed practice comprising family, immigration, licensing and criminal.

Since 2004, Ann has specialised in criminal prosecution. This has entailed appearing in busy remand courts all across London as Prosecution advocate on a daily basis, dealing with bail applications, sentence hearings, case management hearings, overnight custody cases as well as trial courts for which Ann is block booked. Ann has also covered specialist Domestic Violence courts. As a grade 1 CPS Agent, Ann has extensive experience of a wide variety of cases in the magistrates’ courts, including lesser offences of violence, road traffic, and benefit fraud. Ann is also available for defence work on Saturdays.

Sophie has considerable experience in all areas of immigration law. She regularly appears in appeals before the First-Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in asylum and human rights, deportation, as well as entry clearance cases. She advises on merits of fresh immigration and asylum claims, claims certified as clearly unfounded and challenges to trafficking assessments.

Sophie has with particular expertise in working with very vulnerable clients such as minors; victims of torture including sexual violence; and victims of trafficking and exploitation.

Sophie also has expertise in immigration matters including EEA nationals and their family members.

Sophie enjoys working with clients from an early stage of a case and regularly advises on evidence and procedure.

Sophie also accepts instructions on a Public Access basis.

Fabio graduated in Italian Law at the University of Naples, Italy, in 1993, with a dissertation in Public International Law ; during his studies, he worked part-time as an assistant in an Italian civil-commercial law firm, liaising with clients and Italian Courts. After his graduation he passed the Common Professional Examination in 1994 and the Bar Exams in 1995, being called to the Bar of England & Wales in October 1995 (Inner Temple).

His first six months of pupillage were with a Commercial/Shipping set (Stone Chambers) followed by a second and third six months in a Chancery set (New Square Chambers). Thereafter, he worked for three years as an in-house commercial law counsel for a multinational energy company group, providing legal advice and drafting legal documents on matters including :

• commercial contract drafting, negotiation and litigation;
• advising on contract law, competition law (including compliance procedures), intellectual property law, sale and purchase of goods and services, confidentiality agreements, parent company guarantees, procurement contracts, research and co-operation agreements;
• liaising with UK and foreign companies and Government / Regulatory Organisations.

In 2002, Fabio moved his practice to the field of Criminal law, joining the Crown Prosecution Service in London, and becoming in due course a Senior Crown Prosecutor and a CPS High Court Advocate. This, rather unusual, move allowed him to gain an extensive experience in Courtroom advocacy, and to develop case presentation skills that have frequently been praised by Judges, Senior Prosecutors, and even Defence advocates.

In 2006, Fabio returned to the self-employed Bar, joining a set of Chambers, where he continued to practice in Criminal Law (both Prosecution and Defence), but also dealing once again with civil/commercial law cases.

From October 2010, Fabio has been a member of Staple Inn Chambers, and has expanded his Civil Law practice to the fields of Landlord and Tenant, Housing (acting for several London Councils) and Property, in particular Party Wall Act issues, as part of the Staple Inn Chambers Property team.

His academic and career background covering different fields of law, and different jurisdictions, have given Fabio the ability to deal with cases presenting the most different aspects that cannot be confined to a single area of practice, or that involve cross-border disputes. Fabio’s Commercial law practice predominantly involves advising and acting in contractual interpretation and disputes.

Due to his Italian background, he regularly acts for for Italian clients (or for English clients with disputes involving Italian aspects), on instructions from both English Solicitors and Italian Lawyers, in cases involving international business projects or cross-border disputes. He advises and acts in Landlord and Tenant cases, as well as Property disputes, including Party Wall Act work.

Additionally, Fabio is on the CPS Advocates’ List (level 2) and has regularly appeared (for prosecution and defence) in Magistrates’ Courts, Youth Court, Crown Court, as well as the Court of Appeal, also representing the Probation Service and London Councils as Prosecution Counsel.

Fabio accepts public access instructions for advisory work, advocacy and drafting (Statements of Case, witness statements and skeleton arguments) and has been accredited for public access since 2005.

Tania has a well established criminal defence practice, with an emphasis on sexual and violent offences, increasingly as a leader and also as a junior (alone or led). In addition, she has many years of experience in large, complex fraud cases and has successfully defended a large number of confiscation matters.

She is valued by solicitors for her client care and hands-on approach to cases and is highly regarded for her sensitive approach to cases involving vulnerable defendants.

She has appeared at appellate level in a wide range of cases both in relation to conviction and sentence. Tania accepts instructions directly from members of the public (Public Access) in all non-legally aided work.

Alison is a dedicated family advocate whose practice encompasses all aspects of family law. Her easy approach, robust advocacy and user friendly demeanour make her a popular choice with solicitors.

Alison regularly represents parents and guardians in public law proceedings across all tiers of Court. Such cases involve non accidental injury including ‘baby shaking’ cases, fabricated / induced illness, sexual and physical abuse as well as neglect cases. In private law cases, Alison represents parents in relation to residence applications, including shared residence, contact and specific issue.

Within the breakdown of marriage, Alison represents husbands and wives in ancillary relief cases, including “big money” cases and financial provision for children. Alison also sits as a Recorder.

Paul practices all areas of criminal defence work, prosecution for the CPS. Regulatory Offences and Health & Safety.