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
Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State has decided not to accept a notification from members of the Northern Ireland Assembly in relation to the EU...
Details of updates to HMRC import, export and customs guidance for the period from 14 to 20 January 2025....
The Hansard Society's recent podcast highlights a growing debate over the role of Parliament in public inquiries. Currently, Ministers hold the...
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has published its response to the Constitution Committee’s report on the Data (Use and...
The Law Society has published its response to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ)’s call for evidence on the judicial review of nationally significant...
Latest Public Law Practice Notes
Brexit timelineOn 23 June 2016, the UK held a referendum on its membership of the EU, with a majority voting in favour of the UK leaving the EU. On 29...
The pre-action protocols and when they applyThis Practice Note details the pre-action protocols, referring to the Practice Direction Pre-Action...
General Court State aid appeals—closed cases trackerThe below tracks completed General Court appeal cases involving State aid (Articles 107 to 109...
State aid law and corporate taxationArticle 107(1) TFEU defines State aid as 'any aid granted by a Member State or through State resources in any form...
EU State aid decisions (non in-depth investigations)—closed cases tracker [Archived]Below lists European Commission decisions involving non in-depth...
Latest Public Law Precedents
Notice of assignment of contract—from assignor[Headed notepaper of the assignor]To: [Insert name and address of recipient (ie the other party to the...
Environmental Information Regulations 2004, Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information Act 2000—provision for disclosure by a local authority...
Environmental Information Regulations 2004—request for environmental information[Insert name of public authority][Insert public authority's address,...
Design licence—pro-licensorThis LICENCE is made on [insert date] Parties1[insert licensor name] a company incorporated in [England and Wales] under...
Trade mark licence—pro-licensorThis Agreement is made on [insert date]Parties1[insert name], a company incorporated in [England and Wales] under...
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
Discounted Cashflow
Valuation method assessing the net present value of future cashflows.
Off-market share buyback
A share buyback is an off-market buyback if the shares are purchased otherwise than on a recognised investment exchange, or purchased on a recognised investment exchange, but are not subject to a marketing arrangement on the exchange (CA 2006, s 693(2)). Therefore, a private company carrying out a share buyback will always make an off-market purchase, and similarly a public company that does not have its shares traded on a market will always make an off-market purchase.
Safeguarded rights
Part of a pension credit that is attributable to the contracted-out benefits of a member.
CONTACT US
