Şenay Nihat Principal Associate Barrister

Şenay Nihat

Şenay qualified as a barrister as a Major Scholar of Inner Temple, and practised from chambers before joining Gowling WLG. She brings a litigation specialism to the team, having direct experience of litigation at all levels, from mediation up to and including Supreme Court appeals.

Şenay's practice encompasses both advisory and contentious work. Her caseload is varied and covers both commercial and residential property law. She therefore has experience of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, including lease renewal, rent reviews and dilapidations, insolvency matters, breach of contract/commercial disputes, and the application of the Building Safety Act 2022. She has a particular interest in telecommunications, rights of light, residential work (spanning both leasehold and social tenancies), and acting for public authorities. She regularly writes articles and delivers training on these topics.

Outside of work, Şenay has a keen interest in skipping and Soviet history (not at the same time). She volunteers regularly for the Social Mobility Foundation and is currently writing a graphic novel involving a chicken coop.

Experience

• She has acted for clients in the Supreme Court in the following:
  • Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Ltd v Ashloch Ltd and another [2022] UKSC 18 – interpretation of Electronic Communications Code, to allow an operator on a site to obtain new or better code rights from the site owner.
  • London Borough of Southwark & Anor v Transport for London [2018] UKSC 63 – meaning of 'highway' to allow land to transfer to TfL.
  • R (on the application of ZH and CN) v London Borough of Newham and London Borough of Lewisham [2014] UKSC 62 – Interpretation of Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
• Acting for a developer in a high value rights of light claim involving use of new technical approaches to measuring rights of light (climate-based daylight modelling).
• Acting for a developer defending a multi-million pound claim for damages in respect of disrepair and environmental damage at a docks.
• Acting for a national registered provider of social housing in respect of service charge mismanagement and building safety risks under the Building Safety Act 2022.
• Acting for the government in a high-value rent review claim.
• Acting for a housing association in respect of service charge planning across a national portfolio, including issues of exempt accommodation and care, support and supervision.