Barrister Profile  

William Okoya Call: 1989
  • Anti-Social Behaviour
  • Housing
  • Local Government
  • Public Law
  • Regulatory
  • Residential and Commercial Landlord & Tenant
"He has the edge in understanding how clients operate"
Chambers and Partners

Summary

William was a senior legal officer for a local authority and a legal manager for a large scale voluntary transfer RSL prior to practice at the Bar. He advises and represents both public sector landlords and their tenants. He is listed as a leading barrister in housing in Chambers UK.

Areas of Practice

Housing

Housing management; stock transfer; housing allocation schemes; homelessness; housing benefit; grants and subsidies; right to buy; housing conditions and disrepair; unlawful eviction.

Local Government

Constitutional and administrative regulation; framework arrangements; powers; judicial review; local government liability; human rights; standards and ethics; best value; finance; grants and subsidies; re-generation; public/private sector arrangements; contracts; procurement; acquisition, disposal and management of housing; environmental health and protection; ant-social behaviour.

Regulatory

Status; powers; regulation; contracts; acquisition, disposal and management of housing; landlord and tenant; leases and tenancy agreements; security of tenure; possession proceedings; rents and service charges; right to buy and right to acquire; housing conditions and disrepair; anti-social behaviour; human rights.

Residential and Commercial Landlord & Tenant

Residential and commercial: rent review; possession proceedings; lease renewal; rents and service charges.

Public Law

Anti-Social Behaviour

Recommendations

Social Housing (Band 2)

Noteworthy Cases

Allocations

R (Bibi) v Camden LBC [2004] EWHC 2527 (Admin); [2005] HLR 18

Local Government & Housing

R (Couronne) v Crawley BC [2007] EWCA Civ 1086; [2008] 1 WLR 2762

Watford BC v Simpson (2000) 32 HLR 901, CA

Homelessness

Crawley BC v B (2000) 32 HLR 636, C.A

Cafun v Bromley BC Legal Action January 2001, p27, QBD (Admin Ct)

Bond v Leicester CC [2001] EWCA Civ 1544; [2002] HLR 6

Business Rates

Croydon LBC v Maxon Systems Incorporated (London) Ltd [1999] RA 286, QB

Legal Publications

Author/co-author

Local Government Act 2003 (Current Law annotations)

RSL Finance and Rents 2000

Local Government Act 2000 (Current Law annotations)

HMOs and Management Orders in the housing section of Atkins’ Court Forms

Editor

Encyclopaedia of Local Government Finance: Law and Practice (2004-)

Journal of Local Government Law (2000)

Local Government Law Reports (2000)

Encyclopaedia of Local Government Law (1999-)

Housing Law Reports (1999)

Encyclopaedia of Housing Law (1999)

Memberships

Housing Law Practitioners’ Association

Property Bar Association

Fellow Chartered Institute of Arbitration

Other

An occasional contributor to Legal Update on Local Government Law in the ‘Law Society Gazette’