About Public Law Topics we cover Our experts Our Top Sources News Practice Notes Precedents Q&As Featured Glossary

About Public Law

As a government lawyer your clients are experiencing various impacts on policy making from numerous and competing interests such as austerity, efficiency, collective/individual rights, European and devolved/delegated jurisdictions. Your job advising on legislation and risk of challenge through judicial review is increasingly time consuming and complex.

Brexit

With reform of retained EU law high on the agenda, post-Brexit legal changes remains a key issue. Get key information and updates for all practitioners, with practice area specific Brexit content across the modules.

Judicial Review

We outline the key principles and procedural requirements with a clear focus on the public sector perspective. The content focusses primarily on judicial review in the Administrative Court in England and Wales.

Public Procurement

Failure to stick to procedures can have significant legal, financial and practical consequences for a contracting authority. We guide you through various processes, focussing on the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Expertise on all matters

An essential resource providing guidance & materials on core legal subjects relevant to lawyers in all areas of legal practice, as well as specialist content designed to assist government lawyers in a range of key areas

Our Top Sources

GET A TRIAL

Associated legal terms

Lapse statute

A lapse statute is a statutory provision under which a legal right, claim, power or proceeding automatically ends, expires or becomes unenforceable after a specified event or period of time. It is not a single defined concept, but a descriptive term used across multiple legislative contexts in the UK and Ireland.

Examples include provisions causing: criminal proceedings to lapse after a statutory limitation period; planning permissions to lapse if development does not begin within a set time; options, consents or authorisations to lapse if conditions precedent are not satisfied; or statutory powers to lapse on a sunset or review date. In wills and succession, “lapse” is commonly used for gifts that fail because a beneficiary predeceases the testator, subject to anti‑lapse provisions in succession legislation.

The detailed effect of any lapse statute is determined by the specific Act or regulations in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, with broadly similar usage across these jurisdictions. For practitioners, identifying whether a relevant provision operates as a lapse statute is critical to advising on time limits, preserving rights, drafting around potential lapse, and assessing whether a claim or authorisation remains legally effective.

Public law

Public law concerns the exercise of power by the state and public bodies, and the legal controls on government decision‑making and public administration. It typically governs relationships between individuals (or companies) and central government, devolved administrations, local authorities, regulators, the police and other public authorities.

In the UK and Ireland, “public law” is a broad descriptive term rather than a single statutory definition. It encompasses constitutional law, administrative law (including judicial review), human rights, aspects of EU and retained EU law, and certain areas of criminal, immigration, asylum, mental health and prison law where state powers are engaged.

Public law practice focuses on challenging or defending the legality, rationality and procedural fairness of decisions, policies and legislation, often by way of judicial review or statutory appeal. It is central to issues of separation of powers, the rule of law and access to justice.

The concept and usage are broadly consistent across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, though procedural rules, court structures and sources of constitutional law (for example, the uncodified UK constitution versus the written Irish Constitution) differ between jurisdictions.

Taking of hostages

Taking of hostages describes the unlawful seizing, detaining or holding of a person, combined with a threat to kill, injure or continue to detain them in order to compel a third party (such as a state, organisation or individual) to act, refrain from acting, or make a concession.

Across the UK and Ireland, the concept is closely aligned with the offence of hostage‑taking under international and domestic terrorism and criminal legislation. In the UK, the Taking of Hostages Act 1982 implements the International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages, creating an offence applicable in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including extra‑territorial conduct. In Ireland, analogous conduct is typically prosecuted under offences involving false imprisonment, kidnapping, extortion and terrorism legislation.

Key legal features include absence of consent, use or threat of force, coercive purpose, and the leveraging of a victim’s liberty as a bargaining tool. In practice, the term is used in terrorism cases, organised crime, piracy, prison disturbances and armed conflict, and is relevant to issues of jurisdiction, extradition, mutual legal assistance, state responsibility and compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law.
Discover our Public Law legal terms
VIEW Glossary

Try it for free for 7 days

No Credit Card Required

No Downloads Necessary

**Trials are provided to all LexisNexis content, excluding Practice Compliance, Practice Management and Risk and Compliance, subscription packages are tailored to your specific needs. To discuss trialling these LexisNexis services please email customer service via our online form. Free trials are only available to individuals based in the UK, Ireland and selected UK overseas territories and Caribbean countries. We may terminate this trial at any time or decide not to give a trial, for any reason. Trial includes one question to LexisAsk during the length of the trial.