Public and administrative law
Both public bodies and the commercial organisations that
contract with or are regulated by public bodies understand the
influence that they have and the importance of understanding the
law correctly.
Officials have a duty to run their organisations and processes
fairly and lawfully; a successful challenge can mean re-engineering
whole systems as well as significant additional cost and media
profile.
Private sector organisations require the certainty that comes
with knowing that the public body they are interacting with is
acting in accordance with the law.
Judicial review cases have the potential both to open and to
close significant commercial opportunities.
Our service
We advise both public and private sector clients on public and
administrative law. We offer each side of the equation our
experience and understanding of public law and the key drivers that
shape the strategies and motivations of the other.
Through our work for central government departments and a range
of other public bodies, we have an understanding of the way they
function and the legal and financial constraints under which they
operate. We are very familiar with the particular concerns of
public bodies such as vires, requirements for transparency of
process, being subject to public scrutiny and the need to engage
with stakeholders.
Whether you are a public body facing a legal challenge or the
organisation bringing it, we can offer a number of
solicitor-advocates and barristers experienced in both sides of
public law challenges. We can also advise you on constitutional
issues, assist with interpreting legislation and help you avoid
legal challenges and achieve objectives without resorting to the
courts.
Our experience
Our team consists of experts in public law (including human
rights) and we are ranked in the first tier in the leading legal
directories (Chambers UK and The Legal 500) for public and
administrative law. We can provide public law advice to both public
bodies and private organisations on a wide range of areas
including:
- judicial review
- statutory interpretation
- drafting rules, regulations and policies
- governance and constitutional issues
- advice on decision making, powers and duties
- freedom of information
- human rights
- data protection
- public and private inquiries and investigations
- public law training