Your challenges
As public bodies, administrative law is of paramount importance. Any decision may be challenged if it is outside the public body's enabling powers, if it has been made in breach of the duty to act fairly, if it is manifestly unreasonable or if it infringes an individual's human rights.
Decisions of public bodies are increasingly under scrutiny and the exercise of discretionary power is regarded with suspicion. New positive duties under the forthcoming Equalities Bill will require a fresh look at existing policies and procedures.
Achieving your ambitions
It is recognised that public bodies need the certainty that their decisions are not going to be challenged after a short period of time, hence the requirement that judicial review proceedings must be brought quickly and in any event within three months of the decision in question. On a forward looking basis, public bodies need to keep their procedures and decision making under review to ensure that they are robust and comply with the latest case law.
The strength you need
With over 100 litigation specialists, we are one of the largest and most experienced civil litigation practices in the UK. We act for universities, hospitals, local authorities, regional development agencies, regulatory bodies and a range of other national and local public bodies.
Lawyers you can trust
The leading independent legal directories praise our local government practice for its “sound knowledge of the public sector”. Our education practice is “head and shoulders above its competitors”. In health, we show “high levels of responsiveness and quick turnaround times”.