Here I am – here I stay! How I became a housing lawyer

I qualified as a barrister and decided to do further studies afterwards. While working for a firm of housing solicitors, I enjoyed it so much that I stayed and cross-qualified as a solicitor. I have been a housing lawyer for 17 years and would not change it.    

My work 

I specialise in governance and regulation, which is hard to describe, but I tend to tell people that I am the lawyer who sets out to boards and executive teams in housing associations what they can and cannot do! I make sure that their plans for their organisations follow their values and purpose and contribute to the great work they do, individually and across the housing sector. I am also the ‘doom and gloom’ lawyer – I make sure that agreements made by housing associations work for them - and are as painless as possible to extract themselves from if things go wrong.   

What makes it interesting 

What’s great about my job is that I get involved in a wide range of housing projects, which not only keeps me on my toes, but also means that I have great overall insight into the sector. A lot of the work I do is not limited to the black and white letter of the law, but more rounded advice about risk, commercial considerations and general business/sector advice. It is this experience which has led to me being a part of the housing, as well as the legal, sector and becoming a board member for CIH North West. It has recently led to setting up a working group to look into the impact the bedroom tax might have on the future opportunities available to social housing residents being able to work from home, both from the legal angle, but also around issues of equality.  

Making a difference 

Lawyers can have a reputation for being, how can I put it, mercenary, but being a housing lawyer is different. I know that my work makes a difference and that I am part of a much wider community, helping those in need and some of the most vulnerable people in society. I am pursuing the career I always wanted to and helping housing associations to shape the housing sector to meet the needs of so many people in so many ways. 

Passion for the job 

The work is never dull! Housing associations are innovating all the time, and it is great to be part of those ideas and plans and to be able to help put them into action. The key is passion. I am passionate about the law, but I am also passionate about housing. I consider myself to be a social housing lawyer - not a lawyer who does a bit of social housing.  

Endless variety  

There are so many careers in housing, and lots within housing law. My area is just one of many. I work with other housing lawyers every day: from those advising on development schemes, to those helping with the provision of care services; from those advising on finance, to those helping with anti-social behaviour issues. No one day is ever the same!  

There are so many ways to get involved in housing. I never expected my legal career to end up in housing, but here I am - and I am here to stay!