Social housing

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Louise Howells
Blake Morgan LLP
Louise is an experienced commercial property lawyer based in our Cardiff office acting for many of the firm’s commercial clients. Louise’s work includes acting for Housing Associations in the acquisition, disposal and refinancing of properties where she has evolved a strong reputation as a trusted advisor. Louise has developed an expertise in acting for tenants in the management of a portfolio of retail properties as well as in dealings with public houses. She acts regularly for an acquisitive PLC in the purchase of companies with key property components and represents companies in the health care sector involved in the acquisition and development of portfolios of new medical centres for GP’s. Louise has provided advice and assistance to developers bringing forward large sites for development and is expert in the many dimensions of commercial property transactions and land based legal issues.
Siân Jones
Blake Morgan LLP
Siân is a partner in our dispute resolution team and a specialist in property litigation and residential landlord and tenant disputes with a wealth of experience in the Social Housing sector.
Vicky Kells
Clarke Willmott LLP
Vicky Kells is a partner in Clarke Willmott solicitors' Cardiff Social Housing team specialising in charging affordable housing portfolios.
Neil Morgan
Acuity Law
Neil is a highly experienced property litigation and social housing lawyer. Having established and managed the property litigation team at a major tier 1-ranked regional firm for over 20 years, Neil has handled numerous high-profile and high-value property litigation cases during his career. Neil is also widely recognised as one of the leading social housing lawyers in Wales, with over 30 years of experience in the field. He has founded specialist, multidisciplinary teams aimed at the public and social housing sectors, pioneering the delivery of innovative and effective solutions for this market. He led the first in-house anti-social behaviour team in a UK law firm, for example. Neil is consistently recognised by the leading legal directories for his expertise. He is a skilled advocate, a trained mediator and was appointed as a Deputy District Judge in May 2020. He is also a board member of a housing association and Chair of its Development and Asset Management Committee. Neil acts for private and public sector clients, including housing associations, developers, commercial and residential landlords and pension funds. His clients span the retail, food and drink and media sectors, as well as high-net-worth individuals and angel investors. Neil is a fluent Welsh speaker. Expertise: Property disputes Commercial litigation Housing law Social housing Alternative dispute resolution
Caroline O'Flaherty
Hugh James
As a Partner in the Commercial Property team, Caroline O’Flaherty, specialises in acquisitions, disposals, property development and finance.Working across a variety of sectors, from office, retail, and industrial to leisure, Caroline has particular expertise in property portfolio management and leasing work.Highly experienced in all aspects of commercial property and development, Caroline frequently advises on complex, high value acquisitions. A significant player in the housing association sector, she advises clients such as Stonewater Ltd, Pobl Group, Linc Cymru Housing Association and Curo Group on urban regeneration, extra care and mixed use developments. She has recently been recognised for her outstanding work in the sector, winning the title of ‘Consultant of the Year’ at the National Women in Housing Awards, in October 2018.Caroline regularly advises educational institutions and has advised Cardiff University, since 2000, on its estate portfolio. More recently this included advising on the landmark re-development of the University’s Centre for Student Life. She works closely with Coleg Gwent and is heavily involved in their new Newport Information Quarter and Torfaen Learning Zone. Other notable projects include the Wales Millennium Centre, a major regeneration site at Old Town Dock Newport and Mulberry Park - a multi-million pound redevelopment of a former MOD site in Bath.Caroline also frequently speaks at Community Housing Cymru (CHC) conferences.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Bethan Gladwyn
Hugh James
Bethan is head of the housing management team as a result of her capability and specialist knowledge in her field of law, having exclusively practised in the area of social housing and anti-social behaviour since qualification in 2003.A specialist in social housing law and practice, anti-social behaviour and landlord and tenant (residential), Bethan assisted in setting up Wales’s first anti-social behaviour unit at Hugh James. Bethan is recognised as an experienced advocate by clients and peers alike. Bethan has over 15 years’ experience advising local authorities and registered social landlords on all issues of housing management and tenancy enforcement, particularly in relation to measures to combat nuisance and anti-social behaviour.She regularly handles cases involving complex Equality Act defences as well as public law and human rights challenges and advises clients on matters ranging from succession to disrepair. During the final stages of debate, Bethan was approached by Community Housing Cymru to provide advice in relation to the Renting Homes (Wales) Bill 2014 which formed the basis of later legislation.Bethan is renowned within the sector as an accomplished trainer and regularly provides training to social housing providers. She is often invited to speak at events hosted by the Chartered Institute of Housing, Community Housing Cymru and the Welsh Government. Bethan and her team are well known in the sector for acting for some of the largest and well-regarded housing associations in Wales such as Hafod, Merthyr Valleys Homes, Newport City Homes, Trivallis as well as a growing client base of registered providers in England.
Richard Macphail
Hugh James
Richard is head of our social housing team, coordinating the work of over 50 lawyers, paralegals and support staff. An integral part of this role is to lead on the firms work with communities to ensure that social value remains a key priority in all of our activities.Richard acts for a variety of public and private sector clients for all aspects of commercial property work and has over twelve years’ experience of acting for social housing clients, with a particular focus on development work, including land acquisitions, option agreements, development agreements, package deals, planning agreements and infrastructure agreements.Richard has acted for a number of housing associations such as Newydd Housing Association in relation to the acquisition of 190 properties across three phases representing the allocation of affordable housing units pursuant to a section 106 agreement and has acted for Melin Homes Limited in relation to the acquisition of a former school site from a local authority for redevelopment and is continuing to act for Cardiff Community Housing Association in relation to the £20m regeneration of the Maelfa Shopping Centre, Cardiff. He has advised Bron Afon Community Housing on a number of option agreements relating to potential development sites across South Wales.Richard also advises a number of community groups in relation to the lease of properties under the Community Asset Transfer scheme from a local authority and disposing of sites and surplus land by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.Richard is the lead advisor to E G Carter & Company in relation to its land led package deal transactions to South West based housing associations.Richard regularly delivers training sessions and seminars to clients and at conferences on matters relating to property development and disposals.Richard is a member of the business support group for the Duke of Edinburgh Award and is on the committee of Penarth Rowing Club.

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