Plotting a new course in Litigation Millar McCall Wylie has developed a very specialist practice in Judicial Review.
When most people think of Judicial Review they think of high profile and expensive challenges made in court to the decisions of government, councils and regulatory bodies. However, the reality is that there are numerous smaller and less visible entities that can fall subject to the remit of Judicial Review. Quite often, the question of whether the entity falls within the remit turns on whether they are funded by the taxpayer. We would advise individuals and businesses who are working closely with such entities to closely monitor the way in which those public bodies do business. The reason being, if public bodies don’t follow their own rules then they can be challenged, often quickly and effectively. Millar McCall Wylie (MMW) have a strong heritage in challenging decisions of planning authorities, and in recent years they have been instructed in challenging procurement of government contracts. Indeed, the firm occupies quite a unique position in the field and the reason for this is two-fold: Firstly, it has recruited experts in this area, and secondly, it has established a connection to a world wide network of procurement lawyers through its recent affiliation to Multilaw, the world’s second largest association of law firms.
Through Multilaw, MMW have become part of a cross border procurement practice group, which, as Caroline Prunty, Head of Commercial Litigation explains “will provide an unrivalled resource to our clients.” Whilst judgments of the European Court of Justice are always readily available, a significant number of national judgments from individual European Member States rarely make it onto the UK procurement radar. Through this practice group, MMW will have access to English translations of judgments in national courts from across Europe. This will permit MMW to tap into a suite of highly persuasive law and commentary. “As a result, we can provide new solutions to our client’s procurement issues, and identify new areas of challenge.” If you are currently in the business of tendering for government contracts and wish to seek advice about how you can do this more effectively, or simply wish to clarify the rules, then MMW has a dedicated team made up of people with real industry experience.
Caroline Prunty Partner Millar McCall Wylie LLP Eastleigh House 396 Upper Newtownards Road Belfast BT4 3EY T: +44 28 90 200050 F: +44 28 90 474999 E: caroline.prunty@mmwlegal.com W: www.mmwlegal.com