A TRIBUTE TO GILES PEAKER: “NEARLY LEGAL” – AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN WITH EXTRAORDINARY TALENTS

I was distressed to read the news that the extraordinary talented Giles Peaker passed away last weekend. The news can be found on his blog “Nearly Legal”  which includes tribute from his firm Anthony Gold.

NEARLY LEGAL

Giles started his blog on housing law in 2006. My understanding is that Giles started it because at the time he started it he was not  yet fully legally qualified. Originally he wrote it anonymously. He used to enjoy going to housing law events and join in speculation as to who the author was – for a while he was the “Banksy”  of the legal blogging world. He originally worked as a university academic – a senior lecturer in Art history/cultural philosophy for some 13 years.   He later retrained in law and became a solicitor in 2008.   He became a partner at Anthony Gold in 2013. He had been chair of the Housing Law Practitioners Association. He was Housing Lawyer of the year in 2018.  He helped draft the Homes (Fitness for  Human Habitation) Act 2018/2019.

Nearly Legal was (and is) everything a legal blog should be with authoritative commentary on housing law and related housing issues.   It carries adverts (free of charge) for legal jobs in the voluntary sector.

On the 24th March Giles wrote “I am afraid that the site is on pause for an indeterminate period, due to circumstances beyond my control. Normal service, hopefully, will be resumed before very long. NL” 

MY TIME WITH GILES

Apart from discussing those cases where procedure and housing overlap over social media and by email I worked with Giles when we lectured together at the Legal Action Group Housing Law Conference in 2024 on a session on “personal injury damages in housing law”. Giles covered my lack of knowledge of housing law and gave a wonderful discursive talk on breaches of covenant “you’ll have to forgive my obsession with bannisters…”.  He was just as I imagined him, and presented just as he wrote – knowledgeable, authoritative and entertaining all at the same time.

The last time we communicated directly  was in July last year when we were discussing the death of another housing stalwart Spike Mullings”.  I dedicated an edition of a book I was writing to Spike and wanted Giles’ permission to use the words that he had written about Spike. He wrote  saying yes, thanking me for asking and said “I still can’t believe it. I went to the funeral, which was very moving indeed, but still expect him to drop me an email about something…”

IT IS A PITY THAT GILES CAN’T WRITE ABOUT GILES

I borrowed Giles’ words  about Spike because he was such a talented writer.  Writing about Spike he said “He was one of those people who is unequivocally an improver of life, a force for good, a provider of energy, imagination, determination and laughter. Such people are to be treasured because they are so very few and far between. To spend time with Spike was to come away feeling that not only was a better world possible, but that you had a definite part in getting there.”

I would say absolutely the same about Giles. He was an improver of life, a force for good, a provider of imagination, determination, laughter (he was a witty lecturer) and information.  He was a person to be treasured – they are very few and far between.  He had a definite part to play in making this world a better place. The world is much worse off without him. My condolences to his family, his colleagues and his friends.