Property Planning and Employment Team
The Property, Planning and Employment Team is a large team of lawyers and legal assistants who work on a wide range of matters across the boroughs for the 5 councils we support, their companies and numerous schools.
In-house public sector property lawyers wax lyrical that no one day is the same when dealing with property matters for a local authority and that is certainly the case working for 5 local authorities. The team works well together in dealing with a broad range of property matters spanning complex regeneration projects, esoteric land trusts on open spaces, schools & Academies developments and conversions, housing estate redevelopments, improved libraries and leisure facilities, novel infrastructure programmes in iconic river side locations and residential dealings to mention a few. Providing a legal service to five local authorities offers the opportunity to build a diverse and interesting experience in property related matters as well as creating a platform to build relationships with a wide variety of organisations and individuals. We pride ourselves on our collegiate approach to delivering legal and strategic advice whilst providing solutions tailored to specific situations and client requirements. Facilitating home ownership as well as assisting in the successful delivery of new buildings that help improve local communities is a rewarding testament of our work and a reflection of good client relationships.
For our planning and highways lawyers a typical working week can see us supporting client officers at a public inquiry, attending and advising at Committees where high profile contentious applications are being discussed, advising officers on the new permitted development rights and the alterations to the Use Classes Order, drafting and negotiating s106 agreements on major redevelopment sites, drafting enforcement notices and processing TPOs as well as advising on Emergency Traffic Management Orders and recent case law implications. We are a strong friendly supportive team and enjoy a positive relationship with our client officers.
Our employment lawyers enjoy a really varied caseload of contentious and non-contentious matters working with client officers at all levels across the organisations we support as well as on mini- project teams with colleagues in SLLP. The working week brings a fantastic mix so they can be working on a multi-discriminatory unfair dismissal claim with a litigant in person with mental health issues, advising senior officers on rapidly introduced major changes to public sector employment regulations, negotiating a couple of settled exits and then advising on the TUPE implications on a politically sensitive service recommission. Our fee earners relish the instruction challenges that come our way particularly as there always seems to be something new to consider such as the last minute service of our first marriage discrimination claim or how best to robustly respond to a potentially case law making direct TUPE claim. We have a great team and its reflected in our excellent success rate at tribunal; our work is really appreciated by our clients.
Tracy Swan, Head of Law, Property Planning and Employment & Deputy Monitoring Officer (Sutton)
Tracy qualified as a Solicitor in 1992, having started her legal career as a junior legal assistant with the London Borough of Sutton in 1987 who later sponsored her through her legal training. She has worked in a range of legal roles and joined SLLP in 2013 as a Team Manager; she became Head of Law for the Property and Commercial Team with management responsibility for the property and employment teams in April 2017. She leads on employment law matters within SLLP.
Tracy has experience of working in and managing most areas of local authority legal work including civil and criminal litigation, planning, highways, residential and commercial property. She has over 20 years of experience in advising on employment law matters and is valued by clients for her calm and pragmatic approach to instructions.
Amrita Chuhan, Assistant Head of Law, Property Planning and Employment
Amrita qualified as a solicitor in 2001, having trained in the West End and on qualification taking a post in the City in Real Estate. Amrita has worked for other Local Authorities in both England and Wales as well as public sector clients in private practice. She joined Wandsworth Borough Council in 2011 and subsequently moved to the SLLP as part of the Wandsworth restructure in 2016. Amrita has a broad range of experience dealing in complex property matters including regenerations; stock management; planning; highways, as well as taking account of the need to advise in procurement and public law matters. Over the years, Amrita has demonstrated expert skills in negotiating with demanding private sector parties and providing practical solutions on stumbling blocks in developments as well as considering esoteric areas of law affecting councils’ land for example public open spaces and commons.