Genevieve Screeche-Powell is a civil and public law practitioner, specialising in housing, community care, landlord and tenant, property and contract law. She has particular expertise in policy, often instructed in high profile and politically sensitive cases raising novel and complex issues of law.
Genevieve is an accredited mediator with experience of conducting mediations in a wide range of disputes.
Genevieve is also able to accept instructions directly from members of the public within her specialist practice areas.
Please read Genevieve’s Remote working policy and GDPR practice statement.
If you would like more information about Genevieve’s practice, please contact her clerks or call +44 (0)20 7405 6114.
Public law & local government
Genevieve’s judicial review practice includes challenges to public housing policy, Care Act and Children Act cases.
Her other local government work includes:
- recovery of care home fees
- applications under the Mental Health Act
- data protection and confidentiality
- public interest immunity issues,
- civil/general restraint orders against vexatious litigants.
Housing
Genevieve’s housing practice has a particular emphasis on public policy. She undertakes junior and leading work at appellate level and has been involved in numerous high-profile and politically sensitive cases.
Genevieve was lead counsel for successful local authorities in the Court of Appeal cases of:
- Moge v London Borough of Ealing [2023] EWCA Civ 464 (power to admit fresh evidence when applicant’s case changed over course of review and appeal)
- Abdikadir v London Borough of Ealing [2022] EWCA Civ 979 (Housing Act appeal: failure to notify another local authority of out-of-borough placement did not mean review decision unlawful when applicant refused accommodation offered).
She appeared against lead counsel and a junior and was successful on her client’s behalf in:
- LB v London Borough of Tower Hamlets [2020] EWCA Civ 439 (previously untested legal issue of at what point in time future risk of domestic violence be assessed when applicant has been found to be homeless intentionally).
Genevieve also acts in cases with capacity issues, fraud, public law defences, and disability discrimination.
Property / Landlord & tenant
Possession claims, anti-social behaviour, service charge disputes, rent reviews, adverse possession, mortgages and land charges.
Commercial
Contract disputes, business leases (mixture of local authority and commercial clients), debt/asset recovery, banking litigation.
Notable cases
- R(Begum) v London Borough of Tower Hamlets (Shelter Intervening) [2024] EWCA 2279 (Admin), acted for the successful local authority in resisting a claim of indirect sex discrimination in a homelessness judicial review claim.
- Moge v London Borough of Ealing [2023] EWCA Civ 464 Leading counsel to successful local authority about the court’s power to admit fresh evidence when an applicant’s case has changed over the course of a review and appeal, and fairness to a local authority.
- Abdikadir v London Borough of Ealing [2022] EWCA Civ 979. Leading counsel in Housing Act appeal where Court of Appeal determined failure to notify another local authority of an out-of-borough placement did not mean the review decision was unlawful when an applicant had refused an offer of accommodation.
- Objective Care Ltd v The London Borough of Ealing [2022] EWHC 844 (QB) (11 April 2022)
- LB v London Borough of Tower Hamlets [2020] EWCA Civ 439 acted successfully for local authority in homelessness appeal raising point of principle about correct time to assess whether it is reasonable to continue to occupy accommodation where future risk of violence raised
- MVN v London Borough of Greenwich [2015] EWHC 1942 (Admin) (10 July 2015)
- Malik v London Borough of Tower Hamlets [2010] EWHC 2921 (Admin) (03 November 2010)
- Tuitt v London Borough of Tower Hamlets (2009): Representing local authority in claim against it for damages for racial discrimination, breach of statutory duty and breach of human rights act in respect of care proceedings concerning applicant’s four children.
- Bristol City Council v Hassan & Glastonbury [2006] EWCA Civ 656. Junior counsel for the local authority on case involving consideration of suspended possession orders. Court’s discretion to make types of order different to prescribed form.
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets v Deugi [2006] EWCA Civ 159. Homelessness appeal. Issue of an authority’s power to withdraw decisions outside of the statutory scheme.
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets v Ranhara Begum [2005] EWCA Civ 116. Issue as to the appropriate forum in which an aggrieved applicant could challenge a local authority’s exercise of a statutory duty, and to what extent an Article 8 human rights defence could be used to defeat a possession claim.
- Barrett v London Borough of Tower Hamlets [2005] EWCA Civ 923. Adverse possession. The doctrine that the possessory title to land acquired by a squatting tenant should be presumed to endure for the landlord’s benefit should be extended so that on the sale of the reversion to the land comprised in the original tenancy the possessory title to the land acquired by adverse possession would be presumed to be included in the sale.
Education
- BA (Warwick)
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