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
Topics We Cover
Latest Public Law News
This round-up includes details of publications made by Specialised Committees established by the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) for the...
Local Government analysis: The High Court dismissed the judicial review claim brought by a doctors’ advocacy body against the General Medical...
The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments (JCSI) has published its thirty-fourth report of session 2024–26. Two instruments were drawn to the...
Details of updates to HMRC import, export and customs guidance for the period from 9 to 15 September 2025....
Public Law analysis: On 24 February 2025, the main provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023) came into force. Procurements begun on or after...
Latest Public Law Practice Notes
Sunsetting retained EU law—essentialsRetained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (REUL(RR)A...
General Court State aid appeals—ongoing cases trackerThe below tracks live General Court appeal cases involving State aid (Articles 107 to 109 TFEU)....
Court of Justice State aid national references—ongoing cases trackerThe table below lists national references to the Court of Justice concerning the...
Brexit—key legislation explainedBackground—EU law in the UKPre-exit dayThe European Communities Act 1972 (ECA 1972) was introduced and intended to...
Court of Justice State aid appeals—ongoing cases trackerThe below tracks live Court of Justice appeal cases involving State aid (Articles 107 to 109...
Latest Public Law Precedents
Confidentiality agreement—one-way—pro-discloserThis Agreement is made on [date]Parties1[Insert name of party][ of [insert details] OR a company...
Confidentiality agreement—one-way—pro-recipientThis Agreement is made on [date].Parties1[Insert name of party] [of [insert address] OR a company...
Confidentiality agreement—mutualThis Agreement is made on [date]Parties1[insert name of party] [of [insert details ] OR a company incorporated in...
Rights in databases—training materialsThese training materials consist of template PowerPoint slides that can be used as the basis of one or more...
UK GDPR—training materialsThese training materials consist of template PowerPoint slides that can be used as the basis of one or more training...
Latest Public Law Q&As
Featured Public Law content
Sources of constitutional law
Sources of constitutional lawIn briefThe British constitution is unwritten in the sense that it does not derive from a single constitutional text. It...
Methods of statutory interpretation
Methods of statutory interpretation used to resolve disputes about the meaning of legislationIntroduction to statutory interpretationThe aim of...
Convention rights—structure of qualified rights
Convention rights—structure of qualified rightsThe rights preserved under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as set out in the Human...
Judicial review—time limits and the pre-action protocol
Judicial review—time limits and the pre-action protocolWhen considering whether and how to bring a claim for judicial review, the first step is to...
Grounds of judicial review—unreasonableness
Grounds of judicial review—unreasonablenessThis Practice Note outlines the ground of judicial review usually known as unreasonableness or...
What is fettering of discretion in judicial review? When is it an actionable ground of challenge and what must be established for a challenge to succeed?
Separation of powers—legislative, executive and judiciary
Separation of powers—legislative, executive and judiciarySource of the doctrine of the separation of powersThe origins of the doctrine of the...
Grounds of judicial review—illegality
Grounds of judicial review—illegalityOverview of the illegality groundIllegality is the first of the grounds on judicial review set out by Lord...
What is a public authority?
What is a public authority?There is no single, universal answer to the question whether a particular organisation is treated, in law, as a public...
Grounds of judicial review—procedural impropriety
Grounds of judicial review—procedural improprietyProcedural impropriety as a ground of judicial review‘Procedural impropriety’ is the last of the...
Judicial review—interested parties and interveners
Judicial review—interested parties and intervenersInterested partiesIn the context of judicial review, an interested party is 'any person (other than...
Parliamentary supremacy—implied repeal
Parliamentary supremacy—implied repealEssential to Parliament’s legislative supremacy is the principle that Parliament is not bound by its...
What is the legal basis and effect of revoking UK legislation?
Grounds of judicial review—breach of legitimate expectation
Grounds of judicial review—breach of legitimate expectationThe ground of challenge based on legitimate expectations is designed to hold a public...
Royal Charters
Royal ChartersWhat is a Royal Charter?The term 'Royal Charter' has transformed over time. Originally, a Royal Charter was a procedure by which the...
Costs for judicial review—general principles
Costs for judicial review—general principlesGeneral rule on costs in judicial reviewThe general rule in relation to costs in judicial review, as in...
Judicial review—what it is and when it can be used
Judicial review—what it is and when it can be usedWhat is judicial review?Judicial review is a process by which the courts exercise a supervisory...
Judicial deference and the margin of appreciation
Judicial deference and the margin of appreciationJudicial deference is also known as the principle that 'respect is a central concept in judicial...
Associated legal terms
MMS
Multimedia messaging service. A service that allows users to combine sounds with images and text when sending messages.
Statutory audit
For the UK definition of statutory audit see CA 2006, s 1210. Statutory audit is defined in article 2 of the Statutory Audit Directive 2006/43/EC (as amended by the Statutory Audit Amending Directive 2014/56/EU) as an audit of annual financial statements or consolidated financial statements in so far as (a) required by Union law; (b) required by national law as regards small undertakings; (c) voluntarily carried out at the request of small undertakings which meets national legal requirements that are equivalent to those for an audit under point (b), where national legislation defines such audits as statutory audits.
Strict liability
An offence is one of strict liability if it does not require proof of mens rea in respect of one or more elements of the actus reus.
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