Public Law Project Annual Conference 2026

This is a limited early-bird ticket release available until Thursday 23 July, 17:00!

Public Law Project Annual Conference 2026:
Law, Democracy & Civic Space

Presented in partnership with Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (HSFK) and Blackstone Chambers.

• Date: Tuesday 13 October
• Time: 09:30-17:30
• Location: HSFK’s London office (Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EG)

Across the UK, communities affected by decisions in Westminster or their local Council find accountability hard to reach. Internationally, the rules-based order that has underpinned rights and protection for decades, is facing grave challenges. The spaces in which civil society operates are under pressure and protest rights can no longer be taken for granted.

This year’s annual conference asks: How is public law adapting to a new landscape and where does its potential lie as a force for democratic accountability? How can the legal community work with civil society to strengthen the Rule of Law, support democratic institutions and help build resilience in communities? How can we ensure fairness and accountability when civic space in the UK is shrinking? What lessons can we learn from other countries? 

This conference 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.

This event is in-person only and will not be recorded.

Please do book early to secure your place, as this event has always sold out well in advance in recent years.

Ticket pricing

Early-bird tickets (limited, available until Thursday 23 July, 17:00)

• Standard: £295 – For those in private practice, government or regulatory bodies.
• Discounted: £230 – For NGOs, academics and researchers or those employed by universities, those under 3 years’ call, trainees and paralegals.

Regular tickets (available from Friday 24 July 10.00)

• Standard: £330 – For those in private practice, government or regulatory bodies.
• Discounted: £245 – For NGOs, academics and researchers or those employed by universities, those under 3 years’ call, trainees and paralegals.
  For bookings of 3 or more places:
• Standard block booking: £300
• Discounted block booking: £230

*Ticket sales and sponsorship help cover the costs of organising and delivering the conference, including staff time, event production and administration. We are grateful to our partners, whose generous support includes covering venue and catering, amongst many other things,  helping to make this conference possible.

Bursary places 

PLP is committed to making our events accessible to everyone. This year, we are offering five bursary tickets free of charge to people working in small NGOs, grassroots community groups, and those with lived or living experience of injustice and marginalisation.

These places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To find out more and apply for a bursary ticket, please email [email protected].

Programme

Morning chair: TBC

09:00-09:30 Registration

09:30-09:40 Introduction from Public Law Project

• Jamie Peters, Interim CEO, Public Law Project

09:40-10:00 Opening address  

• Sir Tim Eicke KCMG KC, former Judge of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of the United Kingdom and barrister, Essex Court Chambers 

10:00-10:45 Top public law cases of the year 

Which public law cases from the past year will shape the legal landscape going forward? Our speakers select the most significant judgments of the last twelve months, offering summaries and their own view on what they mean for practitioners and civil society alike. 

• Nusrat Zar, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
• Will Bordell, Blackstone Chambers 
• Victoria Pogge von Strandmann, Public Law Project 

10:45-11:00 Race and the UK constitution 

Dr Kumar will examine the role of the judiciary and common law, and of the legislature, in addressing race in public law.

• Dr Vidya Kumar, SOAS

11:00-11:15 Break 

11:15-11:45 Public law research highlights of the year  

Our speakers share their pick of the most significant recent research e of relevance to public law, with a focus on work that has the potential to shape practice, policy and the wider legal landscape. 

• Arianne Griffith, Public Law Project
  Another speaker TBC

11:45-13:00 Morning breakouts (choose 1 of the 4)

1. Big tech and the data-base state: A threat to democracy and the rule of law?
Are imbalances in power between technology companies and government shaping public accountability, oversight and rights protection? How is this playing out with public bodies own use of algorithmic decision making and the emergence of the ‘database state? Answering these questions our panel will also consider what better governance and democratic design of AI should look like in the public sphere. 

• Chair: Caroline Selman, Public Law Project
• Stella Caram, Foxglove
  More speakers TBC

2. Who enforces international law? 

With the global rules– based order under mounting pressure, our panellists explore how justice can be sought and achieved internationally and reflect on how to overcome barriers to enforcement.    

• Ali Al-Karim, Brick Court Chambers
• Sonya Sceats, British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL)
• Katherine Cornett, Reprieve 
  More speakers TBC

3. 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, Jasveer Randhawa, and James Woods, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

 4. Parents and children’s rights and the crisis in special educational needs 

The Government’s white paper on SEND reforms proposes reduced rights of appeal and a reduction in scope and powers of the Tribunal. It is unclear whether two legal systems may be in place during the interim period of the proposed reforms and the potential impacts on families navigating the system. This session examines where legal challenges are already emerging, and further challenges are anticipated.  

We’ll also look at Black Equity Organisation’s research into discriminatory adultification bias, and how this can affect access to, and outcomes from, appeals and complaints processes.     

• Angela Jackman KC (Hon), Irwin Mitchell
• Sarah Wilkinson, Blackstone Chambers 
• Alex Stafford, IPSEA 
• Sarah Woosey, Education Law Experts 
• Speaker TBC, Black Equity Organisation 

13:00-14:00 Lunch 

14:00-15:00 Protecting and advancing rights from within: Common law, courts and the constitution 
If statutory protections are repealed, can our common law rights protect us?  And should we be more actively seeking to ground rights protection in the common law – strengthening our constitutional framework at a time when consensus on rights seems increasingly out of reach?

• Professor Tom Hickman KC, Blackstone Chambers 
• Sonali Naik KC, Garden Court Chambers  
• The Rt Hon The Baroness Chakrabarti CBE
• Dr Kirsty Hughes, University of Cambridge

15:00-16:15 Afternoon breakouts (choose 1 of the 4)

5. Shrinking civic space: Protest, freedom of speech and regulatory pressures

Are civil society organisations facing an increasingly restrictive environment for protest and campaigning? Our panel will reflect the legal and constitutional pressures in play, including proposed new powers for The Charity Commission, ostensibly introduced to tackle extremism but which many fear could limit charities’ ability to advocate effectively. What effect does this charged environment have on democracy and civic freedoms?

• Grant Kynaston, Blackstone Chambers  
• Jane Ide, ACEVO
• Talia Woodin, Activist and filmmaker
• Asad Rehman, Friends of the Earth
  Another speaker TBC

6. Making the case inside and outside the courtroom 

Winning legal change rarely happens through litigation alone. This session brings together lawyers, campaigners and storytellers to explore how cases are made, and won, across multiple arenas: the courtroom, the media, Parliament, and public opinion. How do legal strategies interact with campaigning and narrative? When does going public help, and when does it hinder? And what can lawyers learn from those who tell these stories to the world? 

• Chair: Sue Wixley, Public Law Project 
• Professor Liz Fisher, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford
  More speakers TBC

7. Asylum policy – “Fair, Effective and Humane”? 

In November 2025, the Home Secretary announced to Parliament what she described as “the most sweeping asylum reforms in modern times”, words endorsed bythe Prime Minister who pledged to deliver “social confidence that our asylum system is fair, effective and humane”.  Our expert panel of lawyers and asylum practitioners examines what has changed since that announcement, the current state of the asylum system, the real-world impact of the reforms  and whether the government is making good on its promise to delivering asylum system that is truly “fair, effective and humane”.     

• Chair: Rakesh Singh, Public Law Project 
• Flora Robertson, Blackstone Chambers  
• Zain Hafeez, Citizens UK  
• Piya Muqit, Asylum Aid  
• Rebecca Hacker, Public Law Project 

8. Local government, public law and democracy 

Recent reforms have put the role and powers of local government firmly in the spotlight. How can public law help charities and campaign groups engage with local government in an increasingly polarised political environment? How does public law sit alongside other civil society strategies to amplify people’s voices, ensure accountability, and challenge abuse of power as a local level? Our speakers will also consider the use of judicial review by local authorities pushing back on central government decision making.

• Mathilda Goodchild, London Borough of Harrow 
• Leon Glenister KC, Landmark Chambers
• Jay Woods, Transpire Southend 
  More speakers TBC

16:15-16:30 Break 

16:30-17:30 Protecting democracy and accountability through law: Lessons in resistance from other jurisdictions  

How can the law can be used to safeguard democratic institutions, challenge abuses of power and maintain accountability?  Our panel draws on experiences and expertise from across jurisdictions, exploring how civil society and the legal community have used the law as a tool of resistance and what lessons the UK can learn.   

• Quinn McKew, Article 19
• Tamas Scsaurszki, Hungarian civil society leader (now UK based)
• Anirudh Mathur, Matrix Chambers 
  More speakers TBC

17:30 – Closing address to be followed by a drinks reception