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Speakers

Simon Strelitz

Barrister
Five Paper
Simon Strelitz

Year called 2000

Simon is an experienced housing and property practitioner with over 20 years’ continuous experience in all aspects of the work undertaken across the Property Division. He is also an Accredited Mediator for Commercial and Civil matters.

Simon has been a member of Five Paper since 2021. Prior to this he practised at a specialist housing and property set between 2002 and 2011 before working for the next 10 years as an in-house barrister – initially at Clarke Willmott LLP and then Capsticks Solicitors LLP – where he acted for multiple social landlords on a number of high-profile housing cases across a range of housing and property matters.

Emily Orme

Assistant Director Customer & Neighbourhoods
Paradigm Housing Group
Emily Orme

Emily Orme is Assistant Director Customer & Neighbourhoods at Paradigm Housing Group and a Board member at Women’s Pioneer Housing where she chairs the Homes and Services Committee. She was previously a barrister in private practice specialising in housing law and until last year was also Chair of Zebra Housing Association.

Peggy Etiebet

Joint Head of the Health and Social Care Team
Cornerstone Barristers
Peggy Etiebet
Peggy Etiebet is joint head of Cornerstone Barristers’ Health and Social Care Team.  She is ranked as a leading junior in the Court of Protection in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500.  She has particular expertise in advising local authorities and housing associations on cases on the interface between adult social services, housing and homelessness law and the Court of Protection.

Michele Glazebrook

Michele Glazebrook

Michele has been a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, having qualified with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Environmental Health in 1984. She has worked in the field of housing for the last 40 years, specialising particularly in Statutory Nuisance/Disrepair issues, Houses in Multiple Occupation, Fitness for Habitation and the rating of hazards in accommodation under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). As a Warwick University trained trainer for HHSRS, she has spent several years providing training on the subject.

After 10 years as a local government enforcement officer and 30 years in private practice, she has particularly extensive experience in assessing statutory nuisance and matters giving rise to conditions which are deemed prejudicial to health (Environmental Protection Act 1990) along with attending numerous subsequent trials as an expert witness. She has also had similarly extensive experience dealing with general disrepair under the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 and its associated court attendances.

Laura Tweedy

ADR ODR Accredited and CMC Associate Mediator
Laura Tweedy

Laura is an ADR ODR Accredited and CMC Associate Mediator. She is ranked as a Mediator in the latest edition of The Legal 500. Laura has a domestic and international mediation practice, for both in-person and online mediations, and won Newcomer of the Year at the 2024 National Mediation Awards in London. She specialises in landlord and tenant, housing and real estate disputes.

She is particularly known for her ability to deal with highly contentious, emotionally fraught disputes. Laura’s approach is modern and extremely effective and client’s continually provide outstanding feedback on their experience of Laura as a mediator.

Laura volunteers as a mediator for WMS and is involved with the Horizon Scandal mediations. Laura also teaches mediation advocacy training and conflict resolution coaching. She was one of the trainers to less advantaged school children over 16 weeks teaching mediation skills and dispute resolution: Reflect training at St John Bosco College – Wandsworth Mediation Service and now at Clapton Girls Academy.

Laura is also a sought-after barrister and has been recommended for many years for real estate litigation and social housing in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500. She is described as always looking for “solutions rather than problems” and “taking a pragmatic, commercially minded approach to matters”.

Helen Curtis

Garden Court Chambers
Helen Curtis

Helen is experienced in mediating disputes where there is a high degree of strong emotion, grievance and parties seem very far apart. Helen’s constructive approach begins at the first point of contact, prior to the mediation when she listens to what the parties are looking for from the process and she is noted for her relaxed style.

Helen previously volunteered with CALM and mediated community neighbourhood disputes covering issues of anti-social behaviour, noise nuisance and rehousing. Helen was on the panel approved for Court of Protection disputes during the pilot and contributed to ‘Making Mediation work for you: a practical handbook by Kate Aubrey-Johnson with Helen Curtis (LAG, June 2012).

Helen Tucker

Partner
Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
Helen Tucker

Helen Tucker is one of 4 partners leading our large housing management team in our Birmingham and Manchester offices and heads up the Birmingham based housing litigation team.

With over 30 years’ experience in social housing, Helen continues to provide specialist advice to social landlords as well as charities and housing co-operatives on all types of housing-related litigation and advice relating to tenants, licensees and leaseholders. This includes reviewing policies and procedures, delivering training and assisting landlords with managing unreasonable or serial complainers as well as regular county court advocacy and case management.

Ranked as a Band 1 social housing lawyer in Chambers legal directory for many years, Helen has also run numerous appeal cases on leading housing law issues.

A previous SHLA national committee member, Helen also sits as a Deputy District Judge in the Midlands’ circuit, appointed in 2021 and is a trustee of a small international childen’s charity.

Ian McDermott

G15 Group Of Housing Associations
Vice-Chair
Ian McDermott

Ian has over 30 years’ experience in the housing sector. He began his housing career at Southwark Council. He later joined Waltham Forest where he worked alongside residents on major regeneration projects. He then moved to Stoneridge Housing Action Trust as Development Director and later CEO. Ian went onto be Chief Executive for Shaftsbury Housing Association which joined the Sanctuary Housing Group where he remained for nine years leaving as Chief Operating Officer. Ian became Chief Executive at Aldwyck Housing Group and then Catalyst before joining Peabody as CEO in October 2021.

Trained as a chartered surveyor and an Alumni of Harvard Business School, Ian now sits as a member of the CIH Audit and Risk Committee. He co-chairs the Quality and Trust Steering Group which is committed to improving the quality of social housing. The Steering Group’s role has been to guide, challenge and support the development of an action plan for the sector to implement the Better Social Housing Review’s seven recommendations.  

He is the Vice-Chair of the G15 group of housing associations and co-chairs the Quality and Trust Steering Group which is committed to improving the quality of social housing. 

Ian was born in Runcorn and grew up in the North West. He is a keen musician, has run many marathons and is a passionate Everton supporter. 

Stephanie Lovegrove

Barrister
4 - 4 Grays Inn
Stephanie Lovegrove

Stephanie Lovegrove is an experienced barrister specialising in Housing, Landlord and Tenant law including related Property and Local Government law. She has extensive experience of litigation including in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court and County Court and Property Chamber of the First Tier Tribunal around the country.  Stephanie has a broad advisory practice on complex cross-over housing/Local Government/property law matters with high value or risk. Author of several publications for Law Brief Publishing including ‘A Practical Guide to Succession to Social Housing Tenancies’.

Chelsea Kelly

Head of Community Safeguarding
Poplar HARCA
Chelsea Kelly

Chelsea Kelly, Head of Community Safeguarding at Poplar HARCA

Chelsea Kelly is the Head of Community Safeguarding at Poplar HARCA, where she has worked for 9 years. With a degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Chelsea has extensive experience in the housing sector, as well as in domestic abuse support. She played a pivotal role in launching the first Housing First pilot in Tower Hamlets and now oversees a partnership delivering this model with three other support providers. Chelsea also developed the Community Safeguarding Team, which has gained sector-wide recognition for its success in safeguarding and supporting residents.

Donna McCarthy

Partner
Devonshires
Donna McCarthy

Donna McCarthy Partner – Devonshires

Donna’s 30 plus years of experience and excellent client relationships has made her a respected and trusted advisor to numerous housing and care providers.

 

Jessie Napier

Housing Investigations Manager
Housing Management Services Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Jessie Napier

Jessie Napier | Housing Investigations Manager | Housing Management Services Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Jessie has worked in housing fraud for many years and is instrumental in helping to improve detection within all social housing sectors. She is a committee member at the Tenancy Fraud Forum which is a not for profit organisation which shares best practice in tenancy fraud. She has a sound knowledge of housing law and is very passionate about recovering properties for those in need. She currently manages a team of housing investigators but was a housing officer and a housing investigator previously.  With such a high demand for social housing, tenancy fraud has never been such an important issue to tackle.

HHJ (Jan) Luba KC

HHJ (Jan) Luba KC

HHJ (Jan) Luba KC was in practice as a barrister in the Housing Team at Garden Court Chambers in London for over 20 years.

He was appointed as a Circuit Judge in December 2015 sitting as a resident judge at the County Court for Central London and the Mayor’s and City Court.

He later became a Senior Circuit Judge and a leadership judge (Designated Civil Judge) responsible for the civil work conducted at 13 other county court centres around London.

He retired from salaried office in April 2024 but occasionally sits ‘in retirement’.

Jan co-authors three major Housing Law textbooks: Defending Possession Proceedings; Housing Conditions; and Housing Allocation and Homelessness.

From 1985 to 2014, he co-wrote the monthly column Housing Law – Recent Developments for the journal Legal Action.

He is a Patron of the welfare benefits and housing advice charity ‘Z2K’.

Kuljit Bhogal KC

KC
Cornerstone Barristers
Kuljit Bhogal KC

Kuljit Bhogal KC is a leading barrister based at Cornerstone Barristers with particular specialism in local government, public law and judicial review, housing, and the Court of Protection.

In March 2023, she was appointed King’s Counsel. Kuljit is ranked by Chambers and Partners UK Bar Directory and the Legal 500 for Social Housing Law and Public Law.

In her public sector work, she acts predominantly for local authorities, housing associations and health bodies. In her private sector work, Kuljit acts for private landlords and developers. Her local authority experience goes back over 25 years and she is able to advise on the full range of local authority functions.

Kuljit has an excellent understanding of the pressures faced by public bodies and is well able to service their needs. She is able to provide policy and strategic advice at the most senior levels.

She has extensive experience in policy and governance issues as well as in relation to individual cases and contracts.

Her recent work has ranged from governance (and other) issues relating to Public Space Protection Orders, the use (or misuse) of Community Protection Notices, the contracting out of local authority functions (in particular, homelessness functions) and the legality of Part VI Allocation Schemes.

Kuljit is the author of Cornerstone on Anti-Social Behaviour (2nd edition), the leading text on the powers introduced by the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, published by Bloomsbury Professional. Most recently, Kuljit authored an article for The Times about Safe Access Zones outside abortion clinics, after notably acting in the High Court case upholding the UK’s first abortion facility buffer zone.

Andrew Atkinson

Andrew Atkinson

Andrew Atkinson has worked as a lawyer in local government for more than 30 years. Qualifying in-house, he has had a varied career working for London borough councils and, latterly, Home Counties’ authorities in roles centred on litigation and and all aspects of social housing law. He is a founder member of SHLA and was a member of the Law Society’s Housing Law Committee for ten years.

Nicholas Grundy KC

KC
Five Paper
Nicholas Grundy KC
Year called 1993 (Silk 2016)
Nick is a Property, Public Law, Equality and Human Rights specialist. Nick has expertise in statutory interpretation. Nick is head of Five Paper’s Real Property Practice Group and a member of the Housing, Landlord and Tenant and Public Law Groups.
Nick is recommended as a leading silk in the latest editions of Chambers UK and Legal 500. Nick has been shortlisted for Property and Housing Silk of the year in the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024.

Dorota Pawlowski

Partner
Trowers & Hamlins LLP
Dorota Pawlowski

Dorota started her housing career at Birmingham City Council before moving into private practice. She is a Partner at Trowers and Hamlins LLP in Birmingham, where she advises on all aspects of housing management.

Katrina Robinson MBE

Legal Director
Birketts LLP
Katrina Robinson MBE

Katrina specialises in advising on a range of housing management matters including tenancy fraud, anti-social behaviour, disrepair, and access. Highly respected within the industry, Katrina has held a number of influential roles, including founding and chairing the Tenancy Fraud Forum, founding the Disrepair Focus Group, and was the Chair of the Law Society’s LGBT+ Division and the Independent Adjudicator for Grenfell. In 2016 she was honoured with the MBE to services to Social Housing.

Elizabeth England

Barrister
Five Paper
Elizabeth England

Elizabeth is a member of the Property Team at Five Paper and a specialist in social housing and landlord & tenant law, ranked in both Chambers UK Bar and Legal 500 as a leading social housing barrister.

Elizabeth is sought after for her expertise in tenancy fraud and anti-social behaviour, disrepair claims, tenancies and allocation, homelessness, security of tenure, possession, and has a foundational knowledge of human rights and equality which pervade this area of law.

Elizabeth is known for the depth of her legal knowledge together with a high level of advocacy skill.

As the Co-Chair of the Social Housing Law Association, Elizabeth is advancing the interests of her clients, bringing their shared challenges before the courts and advancing them through other political routes. In 2023, she presented the difficulties of pre-action conduct in disrepair claims to the Court of Appeal in Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil CBC [2023] EWCA Civ 1416, and has responded on behalf of members to the government consultation on abolishing s.21 Notices and no-fault evictions. She has assisted in the response to the government consultation on committal proceedings on behalf of SHLA members together with other members of the committee.

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