Administrative Law

Members of the team are leaders in their field and are instructed in some of the most important and high-profile cases nationwide. We act on behalf of Government, public bodies and claimants. The team includes members at all levels of seniority and with a wide range of experience, from tribunals up to and including the Supreme Court, the ECJ and the Privy Council. Members of chambers are appointed to the Attorney General’s and the Welsh Government’s panel of advocates and a number are recognised as leading individuals in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners directories. Chambers is consistently the only set ranked as Tier 1 for public law, inquests and inquires, and Court of Protection in the Legal 500 for Wales.

Our recent cases include the Welsh Government’s constitutional law challenge to the UK Internal Market and a multitude of other challenges to changes in the provision of health and education services, including the new Velindre Cancer Centre. Members of chambers co-founded the Wales Public Law and Human Rights Association.

Chambers covers all areas of public law, including: human rights, immigration, social care, local government, education, planning, mental health, housing, commercial, public inquiries and inquests.

Consistently the only tier 1 Chambers in Wales for Administraitve and Public Law in Legal 500

30 Park Place Chambers is ‘an excellent set of chambers’ for public law work, with members regularly acting on behalf of government, public bodies, and claimants in high-profile cases. The ‘tireless’ David Hughes specialises in civil actions against the police, including judicial reviews of police decisions to caution and to refer cases to the CPS, as well as data protection claims against the police. Laura Shepherd is ‘tenacious and unflappable’ when representing local authorities and claimants in judicial review proceedings, particularly in relation to health and community care and education decisions. Rebecca Harrington also works with local authorities in the area of community care and often advises on issues pertaining to the interaction of English and Welsh legislative provisions. Christian Jowett‘s broad expertise includes judicial reviews and statutory appeals, while Christian Howells is a public and constitutional law specialist regularly instructed on behalf of claimants, governments, local authorities, and health boards. He recently acted for the claimant in Counsel General for Wales v Secretary of State for Business, a judicial review of the UK Internal Market Act 2020, with the Counsel General seeking a declaration that the Act cannot impliedly limit the Senedd’s legislative competence. - Legal 500, 2024

30 Park Place Chambers is viewed by some as ‘the best public law set in Wales‘. Rhodri Williams KC is ‘excellent on Welsh devolved public law‘, and Rebecca Harrington is sought after for her expertise in advising on a range of administrative law issues. Recent case highlights include Christian Howells acting for the Counsel General for Wales in Reference by the Attorney General and the Advocate General for Scotland - United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, a Supreme Court case concerning whether the legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was within its legislative competence. - Legal 500, 2023