Judicial Review Trends and Forecasts 2024

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PUBLIC LAW>>>BACK TO THE FUTURE

Presented in partnership with Blackstone Chambers and Herbert Smith Freehills.  

THIS EVENT IS IN-PERSON ONLY.

Date: Wednesday 16 October, 9:25-17:30

Place: Herbert Smith Freehills (Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2HS)

Our 21st annual conference follows a period of unprecedented challenges to constitutional norms and access to justice. Looking forward, can public law provide protection for our rights? What should we expect of our administrative justice system?

This year’s illustration is by Sajan Rai. You can download or view the illustration here.  

This event is for

Practitioners involved in all aspects of public law and judicial review, including those in private practice, Government, NGOs (including policy and advocacy work), researchers and academics.

Tickets and pricing

Tickets are priced at £295 standard rate, £230 discounted rate (for NGOs, academics and researchers or those employed by universities, those under 3 years call, trainees and paralegals). Block booking discounts for 3 or more places are available. See the end of this page for rates.

Please email [email protected] to make other arrangements.

Delegate pack

We only provide electronic versions of the pack for environmental and accessibility reasons. If you require a printed pack for accessibility reasons, please email [email protected] to request one and give us at least one week’s notice if possible.

Accessibility

The venue is fully wheelchair accessible. If you have any further access requirements, please enter these on the booking form.

Devices

Please bring a fully charged device as there are limited charging points at the venue.

Lunch

All delegates are provided with vegetarian lunch for environmental and simplicity reasons.

PROGRAMME

Morning chair: Daniel Cashman, Blackstone Chambers

09:25 Introduction 

• Shameem Ahmad, CEO, Public Law Project

09:30 Opening address: future perspectives from past experience

Looking for clues as to how the public law case-law develops

• Mr Justice Fordham

10:00 Public law and the executive: What is the future relationship?

• The Attorney General, The Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC
• In conversation with Alison Pickup, Asylum Aid and Doughty Street Chambers

10:45 Break

11:00 The top public law cases of the year

• Victoria Pogge von Strandmann, Public Law Project
• Rachel Jones, Blackstone Chambers
• Nusrat Zar, Herbert Smith Freehills

11:45 Morning breakouts (choose 1 of the 4)

1. Immigration and asylum policies in the first 100 days
At the time of writing a number of Home Office policies are on hold following the Government’s announcement that they were abandoning the Rwanda policy. This seminar will look at the conditions and prospects for asylum seekers and migrants after the new Government’s first 100 days. How will we be using public law to protect fundamental rights and access to justice for asylum seekers and refugees?    

• Rakesh Singh, Public Law Project (Chair)
• Polly Glynn, Deighton Pierce Glynn
• Alison Pickup, Asylum Aid
• Zoe Bantleman, Immigration Law Practitioners Association

2. SEND and the accessibility of state education: can public law protect and enforce children’s rights?
This session looks at the national crisis in schools’ accessibility to students, exclusions and the causes of voluntary withdrawals.  How can public law help protect children’s right to education, especially where race, disability, socio-economic factors and access to justice are in play?

• Angela Jackman KC Hon, Irwin Mitchell (Chair)
• Ollie Persey, Garden Court Chambers
• Clare Cruise, Southwark Law Centre
• Sabrina Dixon, Social Inclusion Recovery Group

3. Can public law protect protest rights?
Recent years have seen an unprecedented number of cases around the right to protest. This session will look at the use of injunctions against persons unknow by public and private actors, and at freedom of expression and protest rights. 

• Katy Watts, Liberty (Chair)
• Yaaser Vanderman, Brick Court Chambers
• Alice Hardy, Bindmans
• Ivan Hare KC, Blackstone Chambers
• Sarah Lunnon, Just Stop Oil

4. Judicial review of the regulators
Our speakers will look at the recent use of judicial review to challenge decisions across a range of regulators.

• Andrew Lidbetter, Herbert Smith Freehills (Chair)
• Jasveer Randhawa, Herbert Smith Freehills
• James Wood, Herbert Smith Freehills

13:00 Lunch

14:00 The future of human rights
Shami Chakrabarti will deliver a short talk on the future of human rights. There will be a panel of respondents and time for audience Q&A.

• The Rt Hon Baroness Chakrabarti CBE

Panel

• Charlotte Kilroy KC, Blackstone Chambers (Chair)
• Grey Collier, St Johns Waterloo
• Athian Akec, Black Equity Organisation
• The Rt Hon Sir David Davis KCB MP

15:00 Break

15:15 Afternoon breakouts (choose one of the four)

5. Can public law protect social housing and address the housing crisis?
This session looks at recent work to protect access to, and quality of, social housing for communities. It will also look at how public law can uphold people’s rights and protect the environment in light of the growth agenda and deregulation.

• Dame Karen Buck (Chair)
• Saskia O’Hara, Public Interest Law Centre
• Jason Tetley, Greater Manchester Law Centre
• Alex Shattock, Landmark Chambers
• Dr Erin Ferguson, University of Aberdeen

6. Consultation challenges
This session will look at recent case law and cases challenging  public body consultations. There will be an emphasis on the need for transparency and accountability, for instance in the use of EIAs, as well as meeting the ‘Gunning principles’.

• Aoife O’Reilly, Public Law Project (Chair)
• Alex Rook, Rook Irwin Sweeney
• Ellen Clifford, Disabled People Against Cuts
• Steve Broach KC, 39 Essex Chambers
• Emma Parker, Government Legal Department

7. How are people’s rights impacted by the use of AI and ADM, and can public law protect us?
How is digitalisation and automation currently impact people’s rights, what does the future hold? Considering the lack of litigation, what role does public law and regulation play?  There will be a special emphasis on ADM’s use in immigration, and we’ll ask why migrants are being used as guinea pigs in this area.

• Caroline Selman, Public Law Project (Chair)
• Isabel Buchanan, Blackstone Chambers
• Michaela Chen, Foxglove
• Tim Buley KC, Landmark Chambers
• Mia Leslie, former research fellow at Public Law Project

8. International law in judicial review
This session will look at using international law in domestic court proceedings, including the potential and actual influence of unincorporated treaties, across areas including children’s rights, refugee rights and environmental rights.

• Sonali Naik KC, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
• Zahra Al-Rikabi, Brick Court Chambers
• Laura Dubinsky KC, Doughty Street Chambers
• Margherita Cornaglia, Doughty Street Chambers
• Toby Fisher, Matrix Chambers

16:30 Inquiries and investigations: A better future through public law?

How do we avoid another Windrush, Horizon or infected blood scandal? Will the Government’s proposed Hillsborough Law and appointment of a Windrush Commissioner be enough to promote more accountability, better learning and governance, and reduce the likelihood of large-scale, systemic injustice?

• Jenni Richards KC, 39 Essex Chambers (Chair)
• Sam Freedman, Journalist and Senior Fellow, Institute for Government
• Suresh Grover, The Monitoring Group
• Jacqueline McKenzie, Leigh Day
• David Neal, former Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration

17:30 Closing remarks followed by drinks reception

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