Practice
Housing: Maggie started life at the Bar as a specialist housing practitioner, drawing on her knowledge of the housing world. Maggie's housing practice covers the full range of cases, including homelessness, possession, disrepair, illegal eviction and service charges, and she is experienced in dealing with applications for judicial review. Although her housing practice is now much reduced, she still covers the full range, and advises on the CallCounsel advice line.
Maggie particularly welcomes cases which combine her two areas of expertise - housing and family - such as, duties under the Children Act in relation to housing, transfers of tenancies and applications under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act.
Family: Maggie found that she enjoyed doing family work during her pupillage. Her family practice has now developed to the point where it comprises the majority of her work. In public law proceedings Maggie acts mostly for parents and sometimes for children and guardians ad litem. She gets on well with clients and is able to be both sympathetic and tough with them. She likes taking on difficult cases and will fight hard for her clients. She believes that it is very important to work with clients from as early as possible in the proceedings. She is experienced in dealing with a wide range of cases, including cases where there are allegations of physical or sexual abuse, cases where there has been a long history of domestic violence and cases where the client has mental health problems.
Maggie is concerned about problems which often arise after care proceedings have finished and the family court no longer has any role, for instance where local authorities change or do not adhere to the care plan. She has an active judicial review practice dealing with such cases. She is also interested in the issues involved in adoption, particularly in freeing applications and post-adoption contact.
In private law proceedings Maggie will try and negotiate agreements wherever possible, but recognises that there are some disputes which cannot be resolved this way.
Background
Maggie started her working life as an economist, doing research for regional organisations in the North East and working in industry and local government. She then worked for the National Federation of Housing Associations before moving to work at the sharp end of housing for six years, developing co-operative housing in the East End of London.
Notable Cases
Maggie has had the following housing cases reported:
Gray v Taylor [1998] 1 WLR 1093 CA (status of occupant of almshouse)
Aylward v Fawaz [1996] 29 HLR 408 CA (notice operating break clause in tenancy agreement)
R v Camden LBC ex p Aranda [1996] 28 HLR 672 QBD and [1997] 30 HLR 76 CA (homelessness, intentionality, applicant returning from abroad following marriage breakdown)
Other activities
Maggie is committee member and former chair of Hackney Law Centre and she has previously served as a committee member of several community-based housing associations. Maggie is former member of the national council of the National Federation of Housing Associations. Maggie has in the past done some teaching and a great deal of public speaking, and enjoys being involved in seminars, whether as a speaker or facilitating workshops.
Societies
Family Law Bar Association, Housing Law Practitioners' Association and Administrative Law Bar Association.
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