Housing director Manjinder Kaur Atwal has over 13 years’ experience in housing and property litigation law. She handles a wide variety of housing and property law dispute cases including possession claims and eviction matters, landlord and tenant disputes, homelessness, housing disrepair, bringing judicial review matters, reviews and appeals relating to local authority housing decisions, bringing and defending injunctions, boundary disputes, property nuisance/negligence claims, consumer and contractual matters, debt recovery, and enforcement. She also has considerable experience dealing with small claims cases and multi-track cases, and undertakes her own advocacy at court and tribunals on behalf of her clients. Manjinder is dedicated to achieving the best possible outcome for her clients and has earned a reputation for taking on difficult cases deemed without merit, going on to obtain excellent results for clients. Her most notable recent undertaking is her work assisting victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. As well as assisting victims with their immediate housing needs, she is heavily involved in negotiations and raising awareness for those who have been impacted. Manjinder and her team were amongst the first lawyers to assist the victims and was part of a team that set up two drop-in pro bono clinics at Al Manaar Mosque and Westway Sports Centre. She has appeared in the media on multiple occasions, discussing the needs of Grenfell victims and how the cuts to legal aid for housing disrepair have impacted vulnerable tenants. Manjinder regularly features in the media, speaking to TalkRadio Live and RT UK News discussing her work. She recently discussed the government's low levels of spending on social housing and the impact on landlords and tenants during the Covid-19 outbreak. She has also written numerous articles for media platforms on the current social housing issues.
England - South East • Real estate
Duncan Lewis Solicitors
Acting for both tenants and landlords in a range of social housing claims, cases of disrepair, and unlawful evictions, the Duncan Lewis Solicitors housing practice demonstrates ‘excellent knowledge of the law’. With extensive experience of representing clients in the Court of Appeal and High Court, property litigation department head Manjinder Kaur Atwal brings extensive expertise in complex judicial review matters and possession disputes to her role. Dianne Cowie handles injunction and committal proceedings, while Bernadette Chikwe specialises in all aspects of housing litigation. Daljit Singh deals with applications for eviction, and Vincent Davis focuses on homelessness reviews and appeals. Zuhal Saglam Bas is another key team member. All named practitioners are based in Harrow.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Manjinder Kaur Atwal continues to be a force for her clients. I remain impressed by her knowledge, tenacity and overall client management.'
- ‘Manjinder Kaur Atwal has always shown dedication, expertise and is very reliable.'
- ‘The team have excellent knowledge of the law and extensive experience of this area. They also assist their clients with a variety of practical matters including obtaining support from other agencies and this, along with their ability to deal with some of the most vulnerable people in society, sets them apart. They are incredibly approachable and provide clear, practical and sound advice.’
- ‘Dianne Cowie is determined to fight for her clients' rights and uses her sound judgment and years of experience to obtain outstanding results. Her team are hard working and provide an excellent service to clients.'
- ‘Manjinder Kaur Atwal - strong leader and fierce fighter.'
- 'We had complete confidence in the Duncan Lewis social housing management team, led by Manjnder Kaur Atwal. Their impressive, sustained coordination and quality support throughout the three and a half year long trial could not be faulted. We believed wholeheartedly in our team.'
Work highlights
- Acted for the defendant in a Court of Appeal case which has had an impact on the law concerning disrepair in England and Wales.
- Represented the claimant in an unlawful eviction matter which has been referred to the European Court of Human Rights.
- Acting for the defendant in possession order proceedings which were heard in the Court of Appeal and are currently seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Lawyers
Leading individuals
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Manjinder Kaur Atwal, Dianne Cowie, Bernadette Chikwe