Simon Kiely is a Partner in our Dispute Resolution team. He joined Sharpe Pritchard in 2012.
We spent five minutes with Simon to learn more about him and the work he does.
Simon Kiely is a Partner in our Dispute Resolution team. He joined Sharpe Pritchard in 2012.
We spent five minutes with Simon to learn more about him and the work he does.
I am a litigator with a deliberately broad case load, dealing with both civil and criminal cases all the way from the County Court and Magistrates’ Court to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, largely working for a local authority/public body client base.
I know it’s a cliche, but there is rarely a typical day! I try to get through any urgent supervisory requests from members of my team first thing, before my Inbox really starts ticking, and then start working on my active case load focussing primarily on those cases with fast approaching deadlines or which are coming up for hearing in the next few weeks. I make myself available to my team throughout the day on Teams, so am regularly fielding ad hoc queries and requests from colleagues. I try to make time for regular cups of tea throughout the day, and try my best to finish work by 5:30pm to walk the dogs before it’s dark and to spend time with my family, before logging back on to tidy up my inbox and finish my time recording about 10pm once my kids have gone to bed.
I’ve been blessed to have had a number of very interesting cases recently, but the one which appears to have attracted the most attention was assisting East Hertfordshire District Council with obtaining an injunction to prevent further development on a nature reserve and flood plain in Sawbridgeworth over the late August Bank Holiday weekend. The case attracted quite a lot of press attention, which led to me being quoted on the BBC News website, and interviewed for the BBC’s regional Look East news bulletin.
I was also recently instructed to work on a potential judicial review challenge by a local authority affected by the Government’s Local Government Reorganisation plans – however two days after we sent in our letter before claim, the Government ‘paused’ their LGR programme – that’s surely just a coincidence though!?
We are well known for our public law knowledge, as well as the breadth of our experience in dealing with contentious Housing Law issues and urgent planning injunctions, and we do get approached to advise in these areas frequently. However, if I had to pick a particularly niche that I really enjoy getting nerdy about, it would probably be private sector housing licensing and regulation under the Housing Act 2004. We have been involved in a number of leading cases in this area, with several reported Judgments from the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) and the Court of Appeal which have helped to clarify the law and the interpretation of the legislation.
I’ll definitely be keeping an eye for any future announcements on Local Government Reorganisation over the next few weeks/months, as well as the continued roll out of the next stages of Awaab’s Law, and the implementation of the Renter’s Rights Act 2025.
People often seem to think that Housing Law is routine, boring, or straight forward. However, in reality it is a fast paced and routinely changing area of law that is frequently of the upmost importance to the parties involved in a case – the peace and comfort of having a settled home life is often something people take for granted, but when things go wrong it can frequently be life changing for all of the wrong reasons.
Having worked at Sharpe Pritchard for the last 14+ years, I think the most enjoyable things are the many interesting people I get to work with and the many interesting cases that I have got to be involved in. I think Sharpe Pritchard has a great team spirit throughout the firm, and is somewhere where people are all pulling in the same direction to deliver excellent results for our clients in many fascinating cases.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but also make sure that if you make mistakes, you own them, learn from them. It is important to share both good and bad experiences with your team colleagues. The best teams win together, lose together, and grow together.
Probably something in the music industry – I played in a noisy punk rock band from the age of 15 through until being 22, and most of my contemporaries from that time either still play in bands, work as music journalists, photographers, or roadies, or manage major bands/artists.
I think most people who’ve been at the firm as long as I have know I am a keen quizzer and appeared on BBC’s Only Connect in 2019 with a repeat appearance over Christmas 2024, and I’ve already mentioned that I used to play in a punk band when I was younger too… So, perhaps people might be surprised to learn that in addition to two dogs and a cat at home, we also have 13 chickens who keep us regularly stocked up with fresh eggs: one of the many joys of living out in the countryside!
Books – I don’t get to read as often as I’d like to, but I have been enjoying Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London stories for a few years now, and would definitely recommend those for some light reading, as well as any graphic novels by Daniel Clowes, Adrian Tomine, or Joe Sacco.
Podcast – In addition to the couple of Huddersfield Town podcasts I regularly listen to, I am avid listener of the Blindboy Podcast (I’m a veritable Ten Foot Declan/Steaming Caoimhe, if you will), and frequently recommend that anyone who’ll listen
TV Programme – I’m currently enjoying the Daredevil and Jessica Jones TV series on Disney Plus, as well as watching the new series of Taskmaster with my teenage children.
“..keeping a sense of humour and deploying a well timed gif on a Teams chat!”
