Law Centre lawyer honoured with new award for excellence in housing work

Today (Friday), North West London Law Centres solicitor, Marcin Brajta, won a new commemorative award, recognising his legal achievements and his dedication to defending people’s housing rights.

Brajta was presented with the Nathaniel Mathews Award for excellence or innovation in housing work in Law Centres. Mathews, himself an award-winning Law Centre housing solicitor hailed as being ‘of the highest calibre’, had passed away at 54 in 2022. The new award in his name seeks to uphold the values and excellence that Mathews embodied.

Brajta is known to never shy away from taking on the most challenging cases. Likewise, he is willing to argue ambitious points of law even in the most urgent circumstances.

Brajta’s tenacity is by demonstrated his consistent pursuit of cases to the higher courts. One recent case, Zaman in the Court of Appeal, was a significant victory for homeless people. The Court’s decision confirmed the need for local authorities to search for temporary accommodation as close as possible to the borough. The judgement significantly tempered local authorities’ ability to pressure homeless families in London to relocate to the Midlands or beyond, far away from family, friends and children’s school.

Brajta’s work is said to have had a profound and lifechanging impact on his clients, setting precedents which progress the rights of homeless people.

The award was presented to Brajta on Friday, 22 November, at the annual general meeting of the national Law Centres Network.

Nathaniel (Nat) Mathews worked at Hackney Community Law Centre (HCLC) for nearly thirty years, where he used his housing specialism to the benefit of disadvantaged residents of east London. He saw clients both at the Law Centre and as duty solicitor at the local Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court, where he helped renters avoid eviction and home loss.

Mathews was an early recipient of the Social Welfare Lawyer of the Year award at the 2006 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards.

Julie Bishop, director of the Law Centres Network, said: “Our warm congratulations go to Marcin, a determined lawyer and a worthy inaugural recipient of the new award. Nat Mathews was an inspiration to many of his peers across Law Centres and beyond, and his passing was a real blow. We are proud to carry on his legacy and encourage others to follow in his footsteps.”

Ian Rathbone, chair of trustees at Hackney Community Law Centre, said: “Nat Mathews always went the extra mile. He was not afraid to fight the authorities; he was creative and innovative in his approach. Our movement needs people like this. Marcin mirrors Nat’s definition of social justice warrior: tenacious, resilient and never prepared to accept defeat.”

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