Practice Areas
Public Law

Developments in the field of public law continue apace, both within Scotland and the UK as well as more widely, at a European level. The election of the new Scottish Government in May 2007 continues to proffer the prospect of constitutional reform. The Scottish Government has now launched the second phase of its widely publicised "National Conversation", designed to stimulate discussion around the subject of Scotland's constitutional future. There would appear to be a growing consensus across the political spectrum that there is a case to be made for reviewing the devolution settlement as set out in the Scotland Act 1998. More widely, the extent and scope of governmental regulatory intervention continues to expand across a range of areas and sectors. More stringent enforcement powers have for example been proposed for a range of UK statutory regulators. Meanwhile, a new constitutional framework has been proposed for the European Union, which is expected to fundamentally restructure and simplify the European Institutions, with the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon.

Clearly the world of public law continues to gather momentum, bringing with it significant and potentially challenging changes for public bodies and those operating in regulated sectors. Our Public Law Group is well placed to offer specialist advice in navigating this increasingly complex environment.

Click here for full details of our public law services