Government Legal Department Vacancies

Government Legal Department Vacancies

Re A compliance in care proceedings

Emily Henshaw looks at what Re A compliance means and why it matters. Read more

  NEWS

Jun 10, 2025

Northern Ireland Government to ask Supreme Court whether amended Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Code of Practice satisfies Article 5 even if approach is different to Cheshire West

The Attorney-General for Northern Ireland has made a reference to the Supreme Court over whether proposed changes to Northern Ireland's Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Code of Practice that differ from the approach set out in the landmark Cheshire West ruling nevertheless satisfy Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to liberty).

  FEATURES AND ANALYSIS

June 06, 2025

Navigating automatic suspensions

Richard Binns, Ryan Jenkins and Luke Parry-Billings look at the issue of a “sufficiently serious” breach in an application to lift an automatic suspension in procurement proceedings.
June 06, 2025

Fact-finding hearings and allegations of rape

Although a private law children case, there are various points in a recent judgment from Mr Justice Hayden that are relevant to local authorities involved in public law children proceedings, write Joanna Thom and Harrison Engler.

  MORE NEWS

Jun 09, 2025

Public law specialist joins 11KBW

Juliet Wells, whose practice spans public law, group litigation, commercial law, international law, public inquiries, and costs and litigation funding, has joined 11KBW from Temple Garden Chambers.
Jun 04, 2025

Council secures fundamental dishonesty finding in highways tripping claim

A local authority has secured a finding of fundamental dishonesty in a highway ‘tripping’ claim, with its counsel reporting that the court had agreed it was not possible for the claimant to have been in the vicinity of the defective pavement at the point he sustained his injury.
Jun 03, 2025

Legal action launched against EHRC over “unlawful” code of practice consultation

Civil liberties organisation Liberty has launched legal action against the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), arguing that the watchdog breached its statutory duties by trying to rush through “sweeping changes” to its Code of Practice, and not giving individuals and businesses a lawful amount of time to respond to a consultation.
May 30, 2025

Charity threatens legal action against Home Secretary and Met Police over “failure” to collect adequate data to support equality monitoring in Prevent programme

Human rights charity Rights & Security International (RSI) has sent a pre-action letter to the Home Secretary and the Police Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, arguing that a failure to collect “adequate” data to support equality monitoring within the Prevent programme constitutes a breach of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
May 27, 2025

High Court rejects renewed application for deprivation of liberty of teenage girl

The High Court has refused to make an order permitting a local authority to continue depriving a 15-year-old girl of her liberty, finding that depriving a child of their liberty for “pure welfare reasons” or to prevent a child absconding does not come within article 5(1) of the Convention (right to liberty and security).
May 23, 2025

Judge blocks council bid to evict Romani family from car park site

Medway Council's decision to issue a possession order requiring a family of travellers to leave a disused car park represented a "disproportionate interference" with their rights under article 8.2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, a County Court judge has found.
May 22, 2025

Court of Appeal refuses permission for challenge to school site closure

The Court of Appeal has refused permission for an appeal of the High Court's decision to refuse permission for a judicial review challenge that argued a school's closure of a site used to educate children with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs was unlawful.
May 20, 2025

Divisional Court to consider initiation of proceedings for contempt of court in dispute with council where submissions were filed citing authorities that do not exist

The President of the King's Bench Division has ordered a hearing of the Divisional Court this week (23 May) to consider what further steps, if any, should be taken in relation to Haringey Law Centre, one of its members of staff and its barrister after fake cases were cited in a judicial review claim against the London Borough of Haringey.

  MORE FEATURES

June 04, 2025

Who inspects the inspectors?

Richard Dewsbery and Holly Sims explore why housing condition claims see the involvement of one or more (often two) experts.
June 04, 2025

Expert witness functions in the housing disrepair sector

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) recently issued a practice alert after receiving reports condemning the quality of expert witness functions being performed in the housing disrepair sector by its members. Bethan Jones examines the issue.
June 04, 2025

Housing case law update: May 2025

Karen Smith, Emily Howe and Sumi Begum round up the latest housing law cases of interest to housing associations and local authorities.
May 21, 2025

Delay and the 26-week time limit

Katharine Brown looks at three recent decisions in which delay and the statutory time limit of 26 weeks for care proceedings were considered.
May 21, 2025

Cross-border deprivation of liberty

A senior Court of Protection judge recently rejected an application by a Scottish local authority for recognition and enforcement of a guardianship order made in Scotland. The Court of Protection team at 39 Essex Chambers analyse the ruling.
May 15, 2025

Resurrecting a dead horse? PACE Code B and local authority enforcement powers

Defence arguments have a habit of resurrecting themselves as one generation of lawyers takes up the baton from the previous generation. A recent spate in defendants raising the issue of noncompliance with PACE Code B when subject to various local authority powers of entry, search, inspection and seizure, is a case in point, writes Dan Jacklin.
May 15, 2025

Care proceedings and mental health

Francesca Massarella calls for a change in the way poor mental health is perceived and approached, particularly before the point of care proceedings being issued.
May 14, 2025

Annual reviews of Traveller injunctions

The High Court has recently settled the correct approach to the annual review of Traveller injunctions. Natalie Pratt analyses the judgment.
May 02, 2025

Abbasi and Haastrup: to name or not to name

Last month saw the handing down of the long-awaited judgment of the Supreme Court in joined cases on the identification of clinicians in end-of-life cases. The ruling has a potential wide-ranging impact across the health and care sectors, writes Hannah Taylor.
April 30, 2025

Managing the homes of vulnerable adults

Antonia Ford reports on securing an award of damages following a personal injury claim brought by a community nurse carrying out a visit to a vulnerable adult’s recently-fumigated home, in a case where the existence of a duty of care was in dispute.
April 25, 2025

Housing case law update: March/April 2025

Gavinder Ryait, Sarah Christy and Ian Larkins round up the latest housing law judgments of interest to local authorities and housing associations.