Public Law

Three Raymond Buildings is a leading public law set with particular expertise in administrative and public law issues generated by criminal investigations and proceedings, extradition and mutual legal assistance, national security, and regulatory action.  Our experience in the field of criminal-public law field is unrivalled.

Our barristers regularly act for claimants, government departments and public bodies, and interested parties in judicial review and statutory appeals at every level.

Recent cases include instructions for the Secretary of State in the Supreme Court in SSJ v Quaye [2026] UKSC 34 upholding the ECHR compatibility of amendments to sentences of Detention at His Majesty’s Pleasure, and before the Court of Appeal in the Secretary of State’s appeal against the High Court’s decision to quash the order for the proscription of Palestine Action. Members have also appeared in landmark cases such as R (El-Gizouli) v Secretary of State for the Home Department in the Supreme Court, on mutual legal assistance and the death penalty, and in the first Unexplained Wealth Order case.

The range of our public law work reflects the scope of our expertise.  It includes:

• Criminal investigations and powers: challenges to arrest, search and seizure warrants, production orders, and decisions of investigating and prosecuting authorities
• Asset recovery: restraint, forfeiture and Unexplained Wealth Orders
• International cooperation: mutual legal assistance and extradition
• National security: proscription, terrorism powers and related human rights challenges
• Sanctions: designation challenges and advice on the sanctions regimes
• Prisons and parole: sentence calculation, detention and prisoners’ rights
• Licensing and environmental regulation: judicial review of licensing and planning-related decisions
• Inquests and public inquiries: acting for families, public bodies, police forces and corporate interested persons, including in inquests involving deaths after police contact, medical treatment, product safety, industrial disease and workplace accidents, and in judicial review of coroners’ decisions

We also have a long history of appointments on specialist panels public law panels.

Former Attorney General’s “A” Panel Treasury Counsel

Hugo Keith KC
Clair Dobbin KC
Ben Watson KC

 Former Attorney General’s specialist Public International Law Panel Counsel

Rachel Barnes KC

Current Attorney General’s Panel of Civil Counsel

Rebecca Hadgett: C Panel (appointed 2025)
Ruby Shrimpton: C Panel (appointed 2024)
Ciju Puthuppally: C Panel (appointed 2024)

Attorney General’s specialist panel of Public International Law Counsel

Stephen Bailey (appointed 2025)

Attorney General’s Panel of Special Advocates

Rebecca Hadgett (appointed 2025)
Reka Hollos (appointed 2025)

REPRESENTATIVE WORK

• AG v BBC and R (Beth) v IPT: MI5’s challenge to the BBC’s reporting of the covert source ‘X’, and Beth
• Palestine Action’s challenge to proscription
• Ismailov v Sec State for FCDA: challenge to sanctions designation of former director of Everton FC
• R (Perinpanathan) v City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court: the leading case concerning costs against local authorities
• R(Elgizouli) v SSHD: the US MLA request relating to the “Jihadi Beatles”
• SSHD v AF (No.3): the leading case on disclosure in the NS field
• R(Corner House Research) v SFO: the leading case on public law challenges to criminal investigations
• R(Rawlinson & Hunter) v CCC: the challenge to the search warrants concerning the Tchenguizbrothers
• Harry Dunn / Anne Sacoolas: Judicial review challenge to the FCO’s determination that Mrs Sacoolas enjoyed diplomatic immunity.
• Richard III: judicial review challenge to the decision to reinter the Richard III’s remains at Leicester Cathedral.
• Miranda v MPS: challenge to Schedule 7 stop.
• Reprieve v Prime Minister: JR challenging the refusal to hold a Detainee Inquiry
• KAB v Ministry of Defence: Afghans claiming to be spies seeking UK protection.
• Stakeknife and Operation Kenova
• Hamas’ application for deproscription
• Yunus Rahmatullah – Supreme Court habeas corpus application brought by individual rendered to US custody by UK Armed Forces in Iraq and detained in Bagram.
• The Tamil Tigers’ application for deproscription
• Belhaj v Straw
• R(Cabinet Office) v Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry: disclosure of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps
• R(Mullen) v SSHD: the leading case on executive abuse
• AG’s Reference (No.2 of 2001): the leading case on the application of the HRA 1998 to criminal proceedings
• R(Bulger) v SSHD: the Jamie Bulger case
• EVAW v DPP: judicial review in relation to the decline in rape cases being charged.
• Salvato v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions: judicial review of the payment of childcare costs under Universal Credit.
• Terra Services v Secretary of State and NCA – judicial review proceedings in relation to the assistance given in the investigation into associates of President Trump.