Penningtons expands social housing team with appointment of senior housing litigation lawyer

London and South East law firm Penningtons Solicitors LLP is delighted to announce that Colin Hammond has joined the firm's highly ranked social housing group as an associate. Colin will be based at Penningtons’ Basingstoke office.

Colin has 15 years' experience in housing law and litigation, and has held senior appointments in both the public and private sector. He was previously principal housing lawyer at the London Borough of Southwark, and subsequently headed the social housing team at Marsons Solicitors in Kent, where he was a partner. He has conducted litigation at all levels and has led three key cases in the social housing sector – one in the House of Lords (Mills v Southwark 2000) and two in the Court of Appeal (English Churches Housing Group v Shine 2004 and Southwark v Dennett 2007).
 
Until April 2008 he also ran his own legal training consultancy providing training seminars to a number of housing associations on a range of subjects, including housing law for RSLs, DIY possession proceedings, assured shorthold tenancies and anti social behaviour training.
 
Penningtons' partner Linda Storey, who heads the firm's social housing team, comments: "We are delighted to welcome Colin to Penningtons. He will enable us to offer a broader range of dispute resolution services to our existing housing association clients and to expand our profile in this sector further through his many contacts."

Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession and The Legal 500 directories recognise Penningtons’ social housing practice as one of the top in the South of England. The 2009 edition of Chambers states: “This firm has established itself as a solid player in the South ... The team expertly handles shared ownership and right-to-buy sales, and advises clients on conveyancing and site purchases.”