HCR Law appointed onto the Housing Associations’ Legal Alliance (HALA) framework

HCR Law has been appointed to the Housing Associations’ Legal Alliance (HALA) residential property and employment panels.

HALA enables housing associations to access high-quality legal advice at competitive rates. Under the framework HCR Law can provide legal advisory services to HALA members on the purchase and sale of residential units including independent supported living, property management and shared ownership, and all employment matters, including TUPE, employment claims and pensions.

Last year HCR Law began a significant expansion of its social housing and later living team, appointing Louise Drew as Partner. She is a nationally recognised expert in both retirement living and social housing law and has built a strong national reputation advising housing charities, retirement living developers, and housing associations.

More recently, the team expanded again, welcoming social housing development specialist Melissa Starkings as a Partner, alongside Rachael Watts, who also specialises in social housing development, as Senior Associate. They are joined by Associate Sophie Lakes.

They have been joined by Bukola Obadun-Craigs, who specialises in residential property litigation in the social and affordable housing sector. Bukola, an HCR Partner and Head of Housing and Leasehold Management, has already had to expand her team to include an additional solicitor and paralegals who are covering the leasehold aspect which includes enfranchisement, right to manage and service charge disputes.

Joint Head of Healthcare at HCR Law, Louise Crook, said: “The social and affordable housing sector has become more of a focus for the industry than for many years.

“As we continue to grow our presence in the sector, we’re investing in lawyers with the depth of expertise and practical understanding that clients need. We are very happy to have been accepted onto the HALA framework and look forward to providing sound legal advice to its 51 registered providers of social housing across England and Wales.”