Nik's Legal Career

Specialist areas:

Housing

(homelessness, allocations, landlord & tenant, disrepair & housing conditions, possession, anti-social behaviour, long leases)

Property — residential and commercial

Public & Administrative Law

Human Rights

Community Care

Welfare Benefits

Fuel Rights

Called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in November 1986. Now practising from One Pump Court where I have been Chair of the Executive Committee (we have no Head of Chambers).

CEDR Accredited Mediator from 2002. I have conducted or taken part in more than 30 mediations, mostly as part of the scheme for parties with cases before the First Tier Tribunal Property Chamber (see further below). I am also a member of FindAMediator.org - link below.

Tribunal Judge (1999-date) at the First Tier Tribunal Property Chamber (Residential Property) which, from 1st July 2013, took over from Leasehold Valuation Tribunals, Rent Assessment Committees and Residential Property Tribunals.

Public Law Project Director of Policy & Research 1997. Projects included Lottery-funded research into the NHS complaints system and a major conference on ADR.

Southwark Law Centre caseworker (1988-91) in housing and employment.

Memberships

Administrative Law Bar Association

The constitutional and administrative law bar association is a specialist bar association of the bar of England and Wales. ALBA is the professional association for practitioners of public law. It exists to further knowledge about administrative law amongst its members and to promote the observance of its principles.

Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution

CEDR is a unique professional services consultancy which provides access to expertise in a range of commercial problem solving disciplines used to achieve resolution of differences and conflict in business. I was trained by CEDR as a mediator and I am a member of their Exchange programme.

The CPBA is a professional membership association for barristers who specialise in cases in the Court of Protection and in providing advice in relation to such cases.

Housing Law Practitioners Association

The Housing Law Practitioners Association was set up to provide a forum for practitioners working in the housing field to share knowledge and information. Membership is open to all those who use housing law for the benefit of the homeless, tenants, and other occupiers of housing.

Human Rights Lawyers Association

HRLA was established to bring together all those whose work, practice and study is affected by human rights law. HRLA also seeks to assist practitioners and legal advisers to have a better understanding of human rights, in order that they may better advise their clients.

Legal Action Group is a national, independent charity, which promotes equal access to justice for all members of society who are socially, economically or otherwise disadvantaged. it seeks to improve law and practice, the administration of justice and legal services.

Property Bar Association

The Property Bar Association is the professional body for barristers in England & Wales who practise in the field of property law.

The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) believes in a world where everyone is able to participate in creating a better future. I am a Fellow of the RSA.