Public Law

Keeping public authorities lawful, reasonable and fair

Recent

News

The Administrative and Public Law team at Tooks has a reputation for taking brave, ground-breaking challenges on behalf of claimants in all areas of judicial review but particularly in cases raising civil liberties and human rights issues.

The team focus is on representing the individual against the state, often in politically sensitive cases including anti-terror and national security measures, detention of asylum-seekers, imprisonment of offenders - eg the recent seminal case of R (Walker) v Secretary of State - and in many unique cases which defy categorisation - such as the intervention of the Secretary of State to overturn a school governing body's decision to re-instate a teacher after rejecting allegations of misconduct (R (ota) McNally v SS Education & Employment) or the challenge to the coroner's decision to hold the Princess Diana inquest in private.

The team also provides skilled, balanced and cost-effective advice and representation to local authorities in the exercise of their public law functions.

Wherever the rights of the individual are threatened by the power of the State - in any case in which judicial scrutiny and access to justice are in play, the team uses its wide expertise in a variety of substantive areas of law to find solutions and call decision-makers to account. The team's fearless work underlines the democratic importance of an independent bar.

Further information

Further information about individual members of our Administrative and Public Law team can be obtained using the links to the right. You can also contact our clerks directly:

David Smith 020 7841 6108
Simon Gardner 020 7841 6110

Public Law

Recent news