Russell-Cooke LLP's social housing team is actively involved in the Grenfell inquiry, and the firm has developed a specialism in cladding and building fire-safety. ‘Vastly experienced’ senior associate Caroline Brosnan and ’tremendously efficient‘ associate Jodie Green have played key roles in the firm’s Grenfell work, as well as supervising the team’s Legal Aid matters alongside consultant Matilda Rubens. In 2022, the group used Legal Aid funding to appeal homelessness decisions in the County Court, challenge housing suitability through judicial reviews, and to defend possession and injunction proceedings. The team provides advisory and litigation support to vulnerable clients, and to housing co-operatives, a role Brosnan has taken over from Graham French since his move to consultancy.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team has tremendous strength in depth, ensuring consistency of service and effective delegation, providing value for money.’
‘Graham French is wonderfully calm and has exceptional experience of the sector. Caroline Brosnan is extremely intelligent, diligent, and full of great insight. Jodie Green is an excellent team player and tremendously efficient.’
‘Russell Cooke's social housing team is exceptional. Caroline Brosnan is a vastly experienced practitioner. The team have worked on the Grenfell Tower inquiry and various high-profile housing cases.’
‘Jack Crown is both tenacious and empathetic and has an impressively reassuring manner with often vulnerable clients.'
‘A modern practice headed by Caroline Brosnan who leads from the front and has a wealth of experience in social housing. Able to deal with complex urgent judicial review cases with aplomb.’
‘Caroline Brosnan is an incredible lawyer who is a member of the executive of the housing law practitioners. She is in tune with legal issues in this sector and able to identify and develop points of law in homelessness appeals and judicial review challenges. She now has a great team, including Tom Hopkins.’
‘Caroline Brosnan is a conscientious, reliable, and trustworthy lawyer of integrity. She has been nothing but supportive and reassuring; she patiently explained everything in a way that was simple yet thorough and made sure I felt protected and safe throughout the process.'
‘Caroline Brosnan and her colleague Tom Hopkins are the utmost professionals. They are very responsive and explained everything clearly, making sure I felt comfortable every step of the way with the process and eventual positive outcome. I appreciate their dedication and expertise in handling my challenging case. I highly recommend Caroline Brosnan and her team!’
Work highlights
- Assisted a homeless client with being awarded full housing duty, having her children housed with her, obtaining compensation for unsuitable interim accommodation, and obtaining suitable temporary accommodation.
- Assisting a Rent Act tenant with getting work done by their landlord and to get compensation for the poor living conditions they have had to endure because the property was not repaired earlier.
- Advising a client who was being harassed by his landlord, including turning off the tenant’s heating and water supply, on having these services reinstated and negotiating with the landlord’s solicitors for damages.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Jason Hunter