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
The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (SLSC) has published its Twenty Fifth Report of Session 2024–2025. The following...
The Cabinet Office has published its final response to the Infected Blood Inquiry's May 2024 report, accepting all 12 recommendations either in full...
A round-up of key developments on State aid, first reported by the Lexis+ Competition team. This update covers the period 7–13 May 2025....
The Cabinet Office has published its fourth annual report covering the implementation of the UK-European Union (EU) Withdrawal Agreement during 2024....
A pipeline notice will need to be published for each £2m+ procurement in a contracting authority’s pipeline. The first pipeline notices must be...
Latest Public Law Practice Notes
News Analysis—Brexit toolkitLexisNexis® has published News Analysis on a range of issues concerning the implications of Brexit. Key highlights are set...
WTO—an introductory guideWhat is the World Trade Organization (WTO)?The WTO administers the WTO trade agreements which govern trade between states. It...
General Court State aid appeals—ongoing cases trackerThe below tracks live General Court appeal cases involving State aid (Articles 107 to 109 TFEU)....
Trans, gender reassignment and gender identity issues in the workplaceFORTHCOMING CHANGES: An Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) consultation...
UK subsidy control—ongoing cases trackerBackgroundOn 4 January 2023, the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (SCA 2022) entered into force. For further details...
Latest Public Law Precedents
Environmental Information Regulations 2004—log sheet for verbal request for environmental information1. Name of applicant[insert details]2. If the...
Privacy policy—general commercial organisation—customer-facingWe take your privacy very seriously. Please read this privacy policy carefully as it...
Judicial review—letter before claim[Insert the name and address of the proposed defendant]Dear [insert organisation name]Letter before claim in...
Public inquiry warning letterInquiry: The [insert name of inquiry] inquiryChair: [Insert name of inquiry chair][Insert inquiry contact address...
Heads of terms—commercial contractsThis Agreement is made on [date]Parties1[Insert name of party] [of OR a company incorporated in [England and Wales]...
Latest Public Law Q&As
Featured Public Law content
Methods of statutory interpretation used to resolve disputes about the meaning of legislation
Methods of statutory interpretation used to resolve disputes about the meaning of legislationIntroduction to statutory interpretationThe aim of...
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...
Direct effect of EU law
Direct effect of EU lawWhat is direct effect of EU law?The doctrine of direct effect is a fundamental principle of EU law developed by the Court 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...
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...
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...
Structure and functions of EU institutions and bodies
Structure and functions of EU institutions and bodiesThe EU’s unique institutional frameworkThe European Union is a supranational polity, and is...
Harmonisation
HarmonisationDefinitionHarmonisation, also known as standardisation or approximation, refers to the determination of EU-wide legally binding standards...
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?
The status of EU law in the UK after Brexit [Archived]
The status of EU law in the UK after Brexit [Archived]ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained.This Practice Note provides...
Indirect effect of EU law
Indirect effect of EU lawWhat is indirect effect of EU law?The doctrine of indirect effect, or consistent interpretation, is a duty that national...
What is Wednesbury unreasonableness?
Parliamentary supremacy—implied repeal
Parliamentary supremacy—implied repealEssential to Parliament’s legislative supremacy is the principle that Parliament is not bound by its...
The executive and the civil service
The executive and the civil serviceWhat is a civil servant?A civil servant is any permanent, non-political employee of central government—servants of...
What is the EU infringement procedure under Article 258 TFEU and how can proceedings be monitored?
EU internal competence
EU internal competenceThe limits of EU competencesThe limits of EU competences are governed by the principle of conferral (also known as principle of...
Free movement of EU workers and citizens
Free movement of EU workers and citizensEU workers and EU citizens enjoy the right of freedom of movement. This right is granted to EU workers in...
The four freedoms—goods, services, establishment and capital
The four freedoms—goods, services, establishment and capitalFree movement of goodsRestriction on importsScope of the prohibitionArticle 34 of the...
Associated legal terms
Put up or shut up (PUSU)
The requirement under Rule 2.6(a) for a potential offeror to either make a firm offer announcement in accordance with Rule 2.7, or announce that it does not intend to make an offer, by not later than 5 pm on the 28th day following the date of the announcement in which the potential offeror is first identified (or by not later than any extended deadline).
Shirka
A partnership.
Unfunded unapproved retirement benefit schemes (UURBS)
A pre-6 April 2006 pension scheme that falls outside the scope of HMRC tax approval for retirement benefit schemes. Unfunded unapproved retirement benefit schemes in existence on 6 April 2006 became employer financed retirement benefit schemes.
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