Governance and Maladministration

Consequently for public bodies, their members, employees and those interacting with them, complex legal issues often arise as to whether they are acting both lawfully and properly.

The regulation of professional bodies is an area of increasing complexity and the subject of scrutiny from a wide array of groups including the courts, the media, those subject to the rules and those it protects.

We can provide up-to-date and specialist advice on the creation of new regulatory bodies, the drafting of their governing rules and the nature and scope of their powers.

We can advise on:

• Codes of conduct
• Complaints and disciplinary proceedings
• Drafting and interpretation of governing rules
• Education and qualifications
• Forms and structures of regulatory bodies
• Professional ethics
• Statutory control

Our experience:

• Actions by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and in relation to the Registers of MPs and Lords interests
• Applications to the EU, parliamentary and local government ombudsmen
• Claims of misfeasance, negligence or breach of statutory duty
• Issues in relation to confidentiality, disclosure and freedom of information
• Issues in relation to lawfulness and the scope of powers or vires as it is called
• The role of the Audit Commission, parliamentary investigations, commissions and other inquiries