Alex McMahon

Alex is an experienced, housing, public and administrative law specialist and a supervisor under the firm’s legal aid contract.

Most of Alex’s legal aid practice now focuses in some way on a public law challenge as part of judicial review proceedings. He advises on issues regarding housing, community care (adult and children’s social care), welfare benefits (including claims against the DWP and local authority), unlawful detention and asylum-support. Much of his work incorporates other aspects of social welfare, equality and human rights law. He has a broad client-base throughout London and across the country.

Alex’s work covers the following specialisms:

Housing Law

• Judicial review challenges to local authorities in relation to matters such as: unlawful gatekeeping of homeless applicants; unlawful/defective assessments; challenges to local authority allocations schemes.
• Statutory reviews under the Housing Act 1996 in relation to matters such as: homelessness decisions; housing assessments/plans; suitability of offers of accommodation.
• Homelessness appeals in the County Court.
• Defending possession proceedings, including counterclaims (in relation to matters such as disability discrimination, disrepair/housing conditions). Alex acts as a frequent duty solicitor as part of the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS) at the County Court at Clerkenwell & Shoreditch.
• Housing conditions (disrepair) claims on behalf of individual tenants or leaseholders as well as larger groups.
• Proceedings under the Environmental Protection Act 1996.

Asylum Law

• The unlawful detention under immigrations powers of asylum-seeking minors/putative minors
• Age disputes for unaccompanied asylum-seeking putative children (UASC).
• Challenges to the suitability of Home Office/asylum accommodation.
• Asylum support challenges.

Community Care Law

• Support for/assessments of UASC.
• Obtaining and/or challenging assessments of ‘children in need’, ‘looked after children’ and homeless minors under the Children Act 1989
• Support and assistance for care leavers
• Obtaining and/or challenging to human rights assessments for failed asylum seekers.
• Obtaining and/or challenging assessments of adults with eligible needs under the Care Act 2014
• Alex is ranked as a recommended solicitor in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.

Property Litigation

Alongside a strong and busy legal aid practice, Alex also has diverse property litigation expertise and can advise/assist on the following matters:

• Residential possession proceedings
• Commercial forfeiture proceedings.
•  Neighbour disputes including matters such as nuisance, party wall issues, boundary disputes, and rights of way.
• Disputes between leaseholders and/or freeholders (residential property).
• Building management disputes (residential property)

Alex joined Osbornes in 2010 as a paralegal before training and qualifying in 2015.