Download PDF version - Garden Court Chambers

Practice
Connor practises primarily in housing and community care. He is the co-chair of
the Young Legal Aid Lawyers. He is committed to legal aid and representing
vulnerable clients and those in social housing.
Housing
Connor has a busy County Court practice which includes advising and
representing tenants at all stages of possession proceedings (including mortgage
repossessions) from first appearance through to trial, warrant suspensions and
appeals against possession orders.
He is regularly instructed in homelessness appeals (including s204A appeals) and
is happy to advise on homelessness related judicial review proceedings, on an
urgent basis where necessary.
He frequently acts in cases involving disrepair claims, unlawful eviction, tenancy
deposits, Anti-Social Behaviour Injunctions and committal proceedings. He is also
able to advise on the legality of allocation schemes and challenges to allocation
decisions.
He is currently the author of the social housing section of the Garden Court Social
Welfare Law website.
Community Care
Connor has experience of challenges to the support provided to vulnerable adults
and children across the spectrum of community care legislation and is able to draft
clear, practical advice on complex issues. He is happy to undertake work on an
urgent basis where required and has experience of making out-of-hours
applications to the High Court.
Connor has worked on numerous cases involving failures to assess or
accommodate under sections 17 and 20 Children Act 1989 and the rights and
entitlements of care leavers under the Leaving Care Act 2000. He has a particular
interest in those cases which involve the cross-over between Children Act and
Housing Act duties. Having previously worked on the children's legal team at the
Howard League for Penal Reform, Connor is especially interested in housing and
community care issues affecting children and young adults. He is particularly good
at building up a relationship of trust with vulnerable young people and is very
familiar with the legal difficulties faced by young people leaving custody.
Connor is also able to advise on failures to assess under s47 NHS and
Community Care Act 1990, challenges to the support provided under Chronically
Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 and the National Assistance Act 1948,
disabilities facilities grants and the support provided to migrant families excluded
under Schedule 3 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
Connor also provides representation in Special Educational Needs cases, both at
the First Tier and Upper Tribunal.
Background
Barrister profile
Connor Johnston
Page 1 of 3
Year of Call
2010
Email Address
connorj@gclaw.co.uk
Telephone
020 7993 7734
Education
BSc (Hons) Mathematics,
MA Law
Practice Areas:
Connor Johnston is a
member of the following
Practice Areas:
- Community Care
- Housing
- Property Law
- Public and Administrative
Law
Garden Court Chambers
57 - 60 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London WC2A 3LJ
Tel 020 7993 7600
Fax 020 7993 7700

Connor joined Garden Court in October 2012 following the completion of his
12-month pupillage under the supervision of Liz Davies. Notable cases Connor
worked on during pupillage included City of London v Samede [2012] EWHC 34
(QB) and [2012] EWCA Civ 160 (representing the Occupy LSX protesters camped
outside St Pauls Cathedral); Salisbury Independent Living v Wirral MBC [2012]
EWCA Civ 84 (right of social landlord to appeal against housing benefit decisions);
and the Supreme Court case of Solihull MBC v Hickin [2012] UKSC 39 (the
interplay between the common law doctrine of survivorship and the succession
provisions under the Housing Act 1985).
Since July 2011 Connor has been the co-chair of the Young Legal Aid Lawyers, a
national group with around 1,700 members. He is jointly responsible for the
strategic direction of the group and co-ordinates its activities campaigning against
legal aid cuts, promoting social mobility and protecting the interests of junior
lawyers who believe in the importance of legally aided work as a means of
achieving social justice. The group is currently busy campaigning and lobbying
against the legal aid cuts proposed in the Transforming Legal Aid consultation.
Before pupillage Connor worked as a member of the children's legal team at the
Howard League for Penal Reform representing vulnerable young people in
custody. He worked primarily with children serving life sentences. His work
combined prison law, criminal appeals and community care. Connor also
contributed to the policy work of the charity.
In his BVC year, Connor was the winner of the 2010 Inner Temple Lawson moot
judged by Lord Justice Munby. He was also awarded an Exhibition and Duke of
Edinburgh Scholarship by the Inner Temple.
Prior to this, while studying law in Sheffield, Connor volunteered as an advisor at
the Pitsmoor Citizens Advice Bureau dealing with debt, immigration, social security
and housing. He also acted as a refugee mentor at the Northern Refugee Centre.
Publications
Author of the housing section of the Garden Court Social Welfare Law
website.
Regular column on legal aid in the Socialist Lawyer
Regular column on legal aid in Legal Action
Contributor to Garden Court response to Transforming Legal Aid featured
in (2013) 18(3) Judicial Review 336
"Statutory succession or common law doctrine of survivorship?" (2012) 16
Landlord & Tenant Review 194
"Hussein v SSHD: case note and comment" (2010) 24(1) Journal of
Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law 52
"It's not just asylum seekers who need to make a case for legal aid" CiF,
The Guardian 17 June 2010
"Indefinite Immigration Detention: Can it be Justified?" (2009) 23(4) Journal
of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law 351
"Human rights aren't just for cute kids" CiF, The Guardian 18 December
2009
Professional Memberships
Barrister profile
Connor Johnston
Page 2 of 3

Interests
Housing Law Practitioners Association
Young Legal Aid Lawyers
Administrative Law Bar Association
An avid runner, Connor's marathon Personal Best is 2hrs 44 mins (Edinburgh
2013), placing 20th overall out of around 8,000 entrants. He ran his first Ultra
Marathon in June 2013 - a 69 mile, one day event from Carlisle to Newcastle along
Hadrian's Wall. He is an active member of East End running club the Victoria Park
Harriers.
Profile updated August 2013
Barrister profile
Connor Johnston
Page 3 of 3