Richard Mahal

I am a solicitor in the housing team, working in close conjunction with the departmental director, Manjinder Atwal, and managing a team of caseworkers. My interests lie in the areas of disrepair litigation, defence of possession proceedings, and claims brought under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

I am also interested in assisting clients to establish statutory and discretionary succession rights in the home, and in pursuing Equality Act and public law challenges on behalf of clients in circumstances where applications for discretionary succession have not been satisfactorily determined.

I have substantial advocacy experience in the county courts acting as a court duty solicitor. In this role, I advise and represent clients on the day of their hearings, in both directions and substantive possession hearings. I take pride in establishing professional, trusting relationships with my clients, and in offering a service that enables clients to feel at as much ease as possible in the context of complex and otherwise stressful court processes.

If you are defending a possession claim, experiencing disrepair in your home, or wish to determine whether you might have a claim for some form of mistreatment by your landlord or local authority in the context of housing, I am happy for you to reach out directly to me by email to discuss your matter.

• Bar Professional Training Course: City, University of London
• LLM, Master of Laws: University of Cambridge
• LLB, Law with European Study: University of Exeter

• Duncan Lewis Solicitors, October 2020 – present
• House of Commons, Westminster – Caseworker for Member of Parliament, October 2017 – June 2018
• Hanne & Co Solicitors – Paralegal, June – October 2017
• Brixton Advice Centre – Paralegal, October 2017 – June 2018

• "I am grateful beyond words for all the work you are doing to defend me and also for treating me not just as a legal case, but also with that dignity and respect and understanding of all I am going through with this awful situation of having my home under threat of being homeless and the impact this s having on my health and anxiety. Thank you for working so professionally but also with empathy on my case because this really is making such a difference for me knowing that I am not fighting this on my own." - client, 2023
• "I am very pleased that it was you and your law firm that represented me. Like angels you have come down from heaven to help us. - client, 2023
• ”Thanks to Duncan Lewis for helping me with my housing problem, and in particular my case worker Richard Mahal who was working under the supervision of Manjinder Atwal, we had a positive outcome. Richard was communicative and positive the whole way through. Can't recommend them highly enough, my future is no longer uncertain.” - client, 2022
• ”Your support and invaluable advice is much appreciated. We were struggling to deal with this matter but you’ve managed to provide clarity, direction and now resolve. Thank you very much.” - client, 2022

• Playing football, tennis and squash
• Reading current affairs
• Cooking

• Out Now: “This is Housing” podcast explores defending tenants in possession lists with Daniel Bacon (10 July 2024)
• Out Now: “This is Housing” Podcast joined by Special Guest to Examine the Renters Reform Bill (15 May 2024)
• New "This is Housing" Podcast Episode Examines Landlord Tenant Relations, with Marks Out of Tenancy (26 March 2024)
• Special Bonus Episode of This Is Housing Legal Podcast Out Now! (16 February 2024)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors Demystifies Housing Issues with New Podcast – Listen Now! (16 January 2024)
• Could the damp & disrepair problems in your home be due to subsidence and why is legal advice vital? (21 September 2023)