4 New Square Chambers has a leading reputation in public law. Members are regularly involved in significant cases before the domestic and international courts across the full range of administrative law matters – from judicial review claims to public international law cases.
We have a broad client base including government departments, specialist regulators, local authorities, non-governmental organisations and corporates challenging administrative decisions.
A number of members of chambers have been appointed to government panels and are recognised as leaders in their fields in legal directories.
Judicial and Statutory Review
Members of chambers have particular expertise in public law matters which involves specialist regulatory regimes or have a national security element.
Recent examples of our work involving specialist regulatory regimes include:
- R (British Medical Association) v HM Treasury [2024] EWCA Civ 355 (a decision concerning the £17 billion costs of remedying discrimination within public sector pension schemes).
- R (Options UK Personal Pensions LLP) v FOS Ltd [2024] EWCA Civ 541 (judicial review of Financial Ombudsman Service decision in relation to private pension operators).
- Matter Concerning Regulation of Medical Devices (2024) (a confidential matter concerning the framework for the regulation of medical devices in the UK).
- R (Scottish Power Energy Retail Ltd) v The Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (2022 – 2023) (judicial review of OFGEM’s price cap methodology).
- Green v Metropolitan Police Commissioner [2022] EWCA Civ 1686 and [2022] EWHC 1286 (Admin) (acting in the Court of Appeal and High Court for the Home Secretary in a case concerning whether a provision which terminated police widows’ pensions was discriminatory contrary to the European Convention).
Recent examples of our national security work include:
- R (Al Haq) v Secretary of State for Business and Trade (acting for the Secretary of State and the interveners (separate counsel) in challenge to UK arms exports regime)
- Abd Al-Rahim Nashiri v Security Service and ors [2024] UKIPTrib 6 (preliminary issue concerning allegations of torture against UK security services).
- SF v National Crime Agency [2023] UKIPTrib3 (leading case on warrantry to conduct mass surveillance of encrypted communications).
- Liberty and anr v Security Service [2023] UKIPTrib1 (decision on MI5’s compliance with statutory safeguards concerning personal data).
Human Rights / Public International Law
Members of chambers have acted in cases at the cutting-edge of human rights and public international law with particular expertise in proceedings before international courts and tribunals. For further information on this aspect of our practice, please visit our Public International Law page.
Recent representative matters include:
- Ireland v United Kingdom (European Court of Human Rights, 2024) (acting for intervener in challenge to Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023).
- Ferguson v United Kingdom (European Court of Human Rights, 2024) (acting for respondent in relation to challenges under the Bermuda Domestic Partnership Act 2018).
- The Gambia v Myanmar (International Court of Justice, 2023) (advising a state on the merits of intervention in the case against Myanmar regarding alleged breaches of the Genocide Convention).
- Wieder and Guarnieri v UK (European Court of Human Rights, 2023) (leading case about the geographical scope of the European Convention in the context of state interception of communications).
- Ukraine v Russian Federation (International Court of Justice, 2023) (advising a state and non-governmental organisation on the merits of intervention in the case against Russia for breaches of the Genocide Convention).
- HF and others v France (European Court of Human Rights, 2022) (acting for intervener in case against France regarding the repatriation of women and children in regions of Syria).
- Wikimedia Foundation v Turkey (European Court of Human Rights, 2022) (acting for the claimant and intervener (separate counsel) in the case challenging Turkey’s ban of Wikipedia).
- Hanan v Germany (European Court of Human Rights, 2021) (case confirming the extraterritorial application of the European Convention to military activities outside Europe).
- Dallas v United Kingdom (European Court of Human Rights, 2016) (application by a juror following a contempt conviction under Article 7 of the European Convention).
- Chiragov v Armenia (European Court of Human Rights, 2015) (application concerning the right to property made in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict).
Inquests and Inquiries
We have an extensive inquests and inquiries practice. Members have acted as counsel in the following inquests and inquiries:
- Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
- Undercover Policing Inquiry.
- Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.
- Inquests arising from terrorist attacks in London (Westminster Bridge Inquests, London Bridge Inquests, Fishmongers’ Hall Inquests, Streatham Hill Inquest).
- Renewable Heat Incentives Inquiry.
- Grenfell Tower Inquiry
- Covid-19 Inquiry
- Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquests.
- Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
- Billy Wright Murder Inquiry.
- De Menezes Inquest.
- Potters Bar Inquests.
- Porton Down Inquest.
- Neale Inquiry.
Members also act judicial and statutory reviews arising out of their inquest and inquiries work. Recent matters include:
- R (Morahan) v HM Asst Coroner for West London [2023] EWCA Civ 1410 (appeal on the scope of the investigative duty under Article 2 of the European Convention).
- R (Boyce) v HM Senior Coroner for Teesside [2022] EWHC 107 (Admin) (judicial review concerning whether a child who died by suicide while under a care order in a residential home was in state detention at the time of her death).
- R (Maughan) v HM Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46 (landmark decision that the standard of proof for findings of death by suicide and unlawful killing in coroner’s court is the balance of probability).
