Doughty Street Chambers

HOUSING AND SOCIAL WELFARE TEAM

SEEKING APPLICATIONS FOR TENANCY FROM SPECIALIST PRACTITIONERS UP TO 15 YEARS’ CALL

Closing date: 5pm on Monday 2nd February 2026

Doughty Street Chambers has a long-established and highly regarded reputation in housing and social welfare, and we are proud to be ranked Band 1/Tier 1 in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 respectively. We have a reputation for consistent excellence, and we are recognised nationally for our fearless advocacy on behalf of tenants and applicants.

Members of our housing and social welfare team appear at all levels from the First-Tier Tribunal to the Supreme Court, and we have acted in many of the leading cases on homelessness, allocations and housing policy, possession and tenancy rights, welfare benefits and anti-social behaviour. We are best known for protecting vulnerable clients and promoting the rights of individuals, but we are committed to providing an excellent service for all our clients.

Doughty Street Chambers benefits from and encourages a multi-disciplinary approach, with members of the team also practising successfully in discrimination law, community care, mental capacity law, education and immigration law, amongst other areas. Our clerking and practice management is truly second-to-none.

The successful applicant will be an established and ‘excellent’ practitioner with a clear specialism in housing and social welfare law and a commitment to the values and ethos of Doughty Street Chambers. If you are interested in joining a well-respected team of exceptionally able and creative lawyers, we would be pleased to hear from you.

To apply, please complete the application form. Completed applications should be submitted by 5pm on Monday 2nd February 2026 to recruitment@doughtystreet.co.uk. Candidates in excess of 15 years call, or who wish to make a group application are welcome to contact us for an informal confidential conversation.

All enquiries and applications for this post will be treated as confidential. We are happy to discuss possible applications, and should you wish to speak to us before making an application, please contact our Senior Clerk, Sian Wilkins (s.wilkins@doughtystreet.co.uk).

Please see our Equal Opportunities Statement here.

Shelter

Location: Covering our Dorset service – This can be a hybrid role based on service demands

Salary: Grade 6 – £43,338 per annum

Full time: 37.5 per week

Contract: Permanent 

Closing date: Wednesday 4th February 2026 at 11.30 pm

Join Shelter as a Housing Solicitor, in our mission to drive systemic change and fight for Justice.

If you are a dedicated Solicitor with specialist knowledge in housing and homelessness law, and a strong commitment to addressing the housing crisis we welcome you to apply for this role.

At a time when the housing emergency continues to deepen, your experience could help transform lives and challenge the systems that perpetuate injustice. Come and play a central role in our mission as a Solicitor to defend the right to a safe, and secure home.

Working with Shelter means being part of a passionate team that believes a safe home is a fundamental right. Here, your legal skills don’t just change lives—they shape a fairer housing system.

About the role

You will ensure you deliver high quality legal services through casework and ensuring Legal aid contract requirements and performance targets are met.

You will be able to identify test case opportunities to address systemic bad practice and so achieve change for a greater number of people and will work closely with the Managing Solicitor and the HUB.

About You

In this role, you will:

• Be a qualified Solicitor (3+ years PQE) with a strong track record in housing law and Legal Aid work
• Deliver high-quality legal advice and representation under our Legal Aid contract, including at Bournemouth and Weymouth County Court
• Challenge unfair housing practices and systemic causes of homelessness through strategic casework and litigation
• Work closely with our Dorset Hub team to strengthen housing rights awareness across Devon and Cornwall.
• Support Trainee Solicitors and Legal Advisers, ensuring high professional standards and compliance.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

About The Team

Our legal Teams (Managing Solicitors, Solicitors, Legal Advisors and Trainees) are based throughout the England hubs, we are currently based in London, Plymouth, Bristol, Norwich, Birmingham, Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Sheffield and Newcastle.

Our teams are enthusiastic, driven and champions for fighting the housing injustice.  Our teams whilst generating an income also address the housing crisis.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

How to Apply

Job description and how to apply here.

Please submit your CV with a supporting statement with responses to the ‘About You’ points 1-7 outlined in the job description of no more than 1000 words. Please provide specific examples following the STAR format and ensure you demonstrate how you address the behaviour below throughout your responses:

• We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset

Safeguarding Statement

Safeguarding is everyone’s business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Recruitment Agencies

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.