ACJI Seminar: Reimagining housing possession: problem-solving courts and therapeutic justice
Guest scholar Sue James is the Chief Executive Officer of Legal Action Group (LAG).
Housing possession proceedings in England and Wales are primarily adversarial in nature, focusing narrowly on property rights while often failing to address the complex social, economic, and health-related issues that underpin housing insecurity. This paper explores the potential for problem-solving courts, informed by the principles of therapeutic jurisprudence, to offer a more effective and humane approach to resolving housing disputes.
Drawing on comparative analysis and qualitative research, this work examines how problem-solving courts operating in jurisdictions such as the United States and Australia integrate legal decision-making with multidisciplinary support. The paper argues that social landlord possession cases—particularly those involving rent arrears and vulnerable tenants—are well suited to a problem-solving approach, where legal outcomes are combined with early intervention and support. It considers the applicability of therapeutic justice within the civil justice system and evaluates the challenges of adapting such models to housing law in England and Wales.
Event Details
Reimagining housing possession: problem-solving courts and therapeutic justice with Sue James
When: Thursday 5 March 2026
Time: 12pm - 1:30pm
Campus: Monash Law Staff Library, Clayton Campus, or Zoom
Speaker: Sue James
Sue James is the Chief Executive Officer at Legal Action Group (LAG), a charity which supports and empowers those using the law to achieve justice for those most disadvantaged in our communities. Sue was previously director and housing solicitor at Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre and a founding trustee at Ealing Law Centre and North Wales Community Legal. In 2017, Sue was named winner of the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award for Outstanding Achievement. In 2018/19 she travelled through Australia and Canada as part of her Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship looking at health-justice partnerships and other multi-disciplinary ways to deliver legal services. She is co-author of the forthcoming Domestic Abuse and Housing, Housing Possession Duty Desk: a practical guide, co-editor of the Legal Aid Handbook, Justice Matters and Legal Aid Matters and a contributor in Access to Justice in Rural Communities – Global Perspectives. She also writes, speaks and campaigns on access to justice and legal aid. She is currently undertaking a part-time PhD at Cardiff University.