Adrian Smith

I am a Solicitor in the Housing Department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, based in Luton. I work under the supervision of Director of Housing, Manjinder Kaur Atwal.

I specialise in matters relating to possession claims, homelessness and unlawful evictions. I have worked on a number of notable cases in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. I am passionate about social justice and am a member of Young Legal Aid Lawyers and the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers. Prior to working at Duncan Lewis, I spent time working in a secure psychiatric hospital before studying law and qualifying as a solicitor in 2013.

• LPC at Anglia Ruskin University
• GDL at The College of Law
• Psychology and Health Sciences at the University of Liverpool

• Solicitor at Duncan Lewis Solicitors 2017-present
• Solicitor at ARKrights 2015-2017
• Solicitor at Blavo and Co 2013-2015
• Qualified as a Solicitor in 2013
• Trainee at Law Brand 2011–2013
• Paralegal at Ginn and Co 2010-2011

• Recommended Lawyer - The Legal 500, 2021 edition - Social Housing:Tenant/South East

Court of Appeal

• Afonso da Trindade v London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWCA Civ 942 - Important case relating to what can be regarded as unawareness of a relevant fact for the purposes of s191 (2) Housing Act 1996.


• Watts v Stewart and Others [2016] EWCA Civ 1247 - Case challenging the exclusion of security of tenure for occupants of almshouses.
R (on the application of Vincent Nolson) v Stevenage Borough Council (2020) EWCA Civ 379 - Appeal confirming the correct route of challenge to the refusal of interim relief in the Administrative Court.

High Court

• Bucknall v Dacorum Borough Council [2017] EWHC 2094 (QB) - Successful appeal in which it was determined that occupiers of temporary accommodation owed the full housing duty under s193 Housing Act 1996 are afforded the statutory protections under Protection from Eviction Act 1977


• Marian Dahir Mohamed v The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Barnet [2019] EWHC 1012 (QB) - High Court appeal which concerning the inadvertent grant of secure tenancies by local authorities pursuant to ss79-82 and Schedule 1 paragraph 6 (b) Housing Act 1985.


• TM (a protected party by his litigation friend DM) v Metropolitan Housing Trust Ltd [2020] EWHC 311 (QB) - High Court appeal in which a severely mentally ill client was represented. The appeal concerned the circumstances under which a breach of the public sector equality duty (s149 Equality Act 2010) will amount to a defence to a claim for possession and whether the proceedings were discriminatory under s15 Equality Act 2010 on the basis that lesser measures short of possession were available.

Civil Court

The Governing Body of Sheredes School v Davies UKEAT/0196/16/JOJ - appeal concerning the circumstances under which the time limit to bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal can be extended

• Ibrahim v London Borough of Haringey (1) and Capital Homes Services Ltd (2) (26 November 2020)
• Lakhany v Prempeh, [2020] EWCA Civ 1422 (3 November 2020)
• R (on the application of Vincent Nolson) v Stevenage Borough Council (2020) EWCA Civ 379 (15 April 2020)
• Lakhany v Prempeh, County Court at Central London, 16 December 2019 (10 March 2020)
• TM (a protected party by his litigation friend, DM) v Metropolitan Housing Trust Ltd, 2020 WL 00573172 (2020) (2 March 2020)
• Legal 500 recommended National Law Firm, Duncan Lewis, hires solicitor Adrian Smith to provide new Housing services in Luton and Milton Keynes (18 August 2017)