Public Law

Our team advises on a wide range of matters, offering robust advice that considers legal, financial and reputational risk. We work closely with clients to help them respond to new legislation, from early briefing to new contractual responses.

We are frequently involved in the development and drafting of legislation, assisting government departments and engaging with Parliamentary Counsel and proposing wording for key powers.

Our experience includes:

• Vires, constitutional and governance issues, equalities and human rights, defensible decision making, exercising regulatory functions, formulating and implementing policy, and defending legal challenges.
• Preventative measures in policy and organisational development. We work on development and adoption of policy and procedures, always understanding the law/policy advice divide.
• Defence of judicial review challenges, from initial pre-action stages to final hearing and, if need be, appeal for health, education and local authorities.
• Advice on public powers, including statutory interpretation and prerogative powers, constitutional and public law requirements, and advising on adopting new policies and ways to deliver public services within existing statutory frameworks.
• The regulation of higher education, advising on every major change from the end of the binary divide in 1992 to the introduction of fees, fair access provisions and the creation of the Office for Students.