Clifford Chance
We provide advice on all public and administrative law issues to both public and private sector clients.
Clifford Chance has a skilled team with broad experience across all domestic public and administrative law issues, including all administrative court proceedings, judicial review and public inquiries.
We regularly advise governments, public, and private sector clients on navigating administrative law requirements and pursuing remedies against public authorities in jurisdictions around the world.
Our lawyers have experience in dealing with contentious administrative law proceedings, regulatory appeals, public and procurement law advice, and assistance with appearances before legislative and parliamentary committees. Our experience also includes acting in judicial review proceedings challenging the validity of the primary legislation, including in the House of Lords and the European Court of Human Rights.
We are very aware of the sensitivities which arise when dealing with a government or regulator, and we try to resolve disputes in a way that recognises the need for an ongoing relationship. We leverage our ability to work internationally to co-ordinate a client's approach across jurisdictions, and combine Clifford Chance's unique capacity to provide advice from expert administrative lawyers in concert with our market leading public policy and regulatory practices.
Many of our public and administrative lawyers have extensive previous experience working inside governments and ministries in a range of jurisdictions, and bring this experience to bear in our work for public and private sector clients alike.
Client experience
We regularly act for appellants and intervenors in domestic appellate courts including the US Appellate Courts, the European Court of Justice, UK Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights.
We also advise government bodies including ministries and regulatory bodies. This includes recent advice to:
- various government bodies on their powers to provide financial assistance to the private sector in response to the covid-19 outbreak;
- the UK Government Official Receiver on public law issues in the sale of the British Steel assets; and
- Network Rail on public procurement and public law issues in the sale of its commercial real estate portfolio to Telereal Trillium and Blackstone Property Partners for £1.46 billion.
Our public law team has extensive experience acting for private sector clients where their interests involve sensitive public law and policy issues. This includes:
- conducting an internal investigation into a major political party;
- advising a multinational telecoms organisation on public law challenges to domestic regulations in multiple jurisdictions;
- advising private equity and financial institution clients on public law issues connected to flagship transactions, including recently Zouk Capital LLP, on the launch of the £400m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund;
- acting for a global bank in a judicial review appeal relating to payment protection insurance;
- acting claimants in judicial review proceedings challenging the validity of primary legislation, up to and including in the European Court of Human Rights; and
- acting for private sector energy companies in judicial review proceedings relating to transmission charging.
