We are excited to announce the full programme for our sixth Annual Summer Conference, which is taking place on Monday 9 June 2014 and is sponsored by Axiom Advocates.
Session One – Public Law in Scotland Update
This session will be chaired by Lady Stacey. Douglas Ross, Advocate, will provide an update on Scots judicial review cases and topics. As First Standing Junior counsel to the Scottish Ministers, he has been instructed in some of the most interesting judicial review and public law cases in Scotland. Gerry Moynihan QC will then focus on human rights and EU issues in Scots public law. Gerry is well placed to draw upon his wealth of experience in these areas and in public law in general. Lynda Towers, Solicitor to the Scottish Parliament will provide an update on key legislation in the Scottish Parliament. As well as being Solicitor to the Scottish Parliament, Lynda is Chair of the Law Society’s In House Lawyers Group.
Session Two – John Larkin QC, Attorney General for Northern Ireland
John F Larkin QC will use his experience as Attorney General for Northern Ireland to give an insight into the role of law officers in dealing with issues of legislative competence and, more generally, their role in supporting and maintaining the rule of law.
Session Three – Public Law Developments Elsewhere
In Part One of this session, Professor Gordon Anthony of Queen’s University Belfast, will examine the Haass proposals published at the end of 2013, in particular as regards the matter of "the past". He will consider the mechanisms that were suggested for dealing with the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict; whether those mechanisms would be feasible in public law terms; and how far – or whether – they might be reconciled with the recent controversy about the "On the Runs".
In Part Two, Richard Gordon QC will provide an update on the key public law developments in the English courts. He will be discussing P v Cheshire West & Cheshire Council (in which he represented the interests of three mentally incapacitated individuals cared for in a residential setting, who the Supreme Court recently found were being detained in terms of the European Convention on Human Rights) and other recent developments. Professor Niamh Nic Shuibhne of the University of Edinburgh will then focus on EU public law developments. She will address developments in EU citizenship law in light of the recent debates on restricting migration, and the Court of Session’s decision to refer the Scotch Whisky Association case on alcohol minimum pricing to Luxembourg.
Session Four – Theodore Huckle QC, Counsel General for Wales
Theodore Huckle QC, Counsel General for Wales, will address delegates on his role as a law officer in Wales, under particular reference to recent referrals of Welsh Assembly legislation to the Supreme Court.
Session Five – ‘Question Time’ Panel
Drawing together the key themes from the day, Sheriff Sean Murphy will chair a ‘Question Time’ style panel session involving four of the day’s speakers. In this exciting addition to the programme, delegates will have the chance to ask a diverse range of speakers for their views on important issues of public law and to explore their reflections from the Conference.