We challenge unlawful or unfair decisions made by public bodies through judicial review, protecting your rights and ensuring you are treated lawfully and fairly.
We can help with:
Unlawful delays and procedural unfairness
Care Act and social care failures
Prison and parole decisions
Age assessments and asylum decisions
Housing and homelessness decisions
When councils, NHS bodies or government departments get it wrong, the consequences can be devastating. Poor decisions can deny children vital support, leave families without proper care, or put vulnerable people at risk. If you believe a decision affecting you or your family is unfair, unreasonable, or procedurally flawed, judicial review may provide the answer.
We specialise in evaluating whether public body decisions can be successfully challenged and helping you build the strongest possible case for judicial review.
Challenging unfair decisions through judicial review requires careful evaluation of your circumstances and meticulous preparation of your case.
Our approach begins with understanding your story and what’s gone wrong with the decision affecting you or your family. We look ahead to what evidence will be required, which documents to request, and how to present the strongest possible case. From the outset, we’re preparing for every stage of the process.
Working alongside our Community Care and Mental Health teams gives us a complete understanding of your circumstances. When you’re looking to challenge a public body’s decision, we go beyond the paperwork to understand what’s really at stake for each client.
We gather detailed evidence about real-life impacts, building compelling cases that demonstrate why public body decisions are wrong and what needs to change for there to be fair treatment.
Our work includes challenging decisions around immigration status, deportation orders, parole board determinations, housing assessments, and prison conditions.
We handle cases where young asylum seekers are wrongly assessed as adults, denying them the protection and support they need as children. We challenge Care Act assessments that underestimate complex needs, leaving vulnerable people without adequate care hours or appropriate services. We also represent people in vulnerable situations facing homelessness, such as victims of trafficking who need specialist accommodation and support.
We’ve successfully represented clients facing everything from flawed age assessments to Home Office refusals to recognise legitimate claims for protection. For example, the Upper Tribunal recently ruled in favour of our 16-year-old client and ordered substantial costs against the council.
Every client’s situation is different, and we adapt our approach to what works best for you. We work differently with every client, tailoring our processes to your communication preferences and individual circumstances.
We start with your story. Without getting caught up in legal jargon, we want to understand what’s happened and what you’re hoping to achieve. From there, we take a hands-on, investigative approach – reviewing every detail, identifying gaps, and asking the questions others might not think to ask.
Once we’ve carefully reviewed all relevant documents and identified the key issues, we outline a clear plan of action and agree on next steps with you.
Throughout the process, we keep you involved and informed, ensuring you’re not just represented but empowered to make decisions about your case. We encourage you to ask questions at any stage. We’ll always explain things clearly and in a way you can understand.
Our Public Law team works closely with colleagues across all our departments, so we understand the full context of your situation and can build on any previous work that’s been done.
Every Community Care situation is different, but our clients often face similar challenges with local authority decisions. Here are some of the most common situations where we provide representation and advice:
You may feel that your age assessment was unfair or didn’t properly consider the evidence you provided about your background and circumstances. We challenge age assessments that rely too heavily on physical appearance and examine whether proper procedures were followed during the assessment process.
Important aspects of your condition may not have been properly considered, leaving you without the support hours or services you need. We review assessments to identify where authorities may have failed to evaluate complex needs properly and challenge decisions that don’t reflect the reality of your daily life.
Local authorities may not properly assess your priority need for accommodation, leaving you without the support you’re entitled to. We recently helped a young woman who was facing homelessness despite being a victim of modern slavery. We successfully challenged the local authority’s decision and secured temporary accommodation for her, giving her the stability she needed to rebuild her life and find permanent housing.
Whether it’s deportation orders, asylum claim refusals, or decisions about other entitlements, you may believe these are based on incorrect information or flawed procedures. We examine whether proper processes were followed and challenge decisions where relevant evidence may not have been properly considered.
If you’re facing any decision by a public body that feels wrong or unfair, we encourage you to contact us for a free initial consultation. Sometimes the law in a particular area hasn’t been fully tested, and cases that initially seem hopeless can lead to important clarifications that help many others in similar situations.
Our Public Law team works closely with colleagues across all our departments, bringing together expertise in judicial review, administrative law, and holding public bodies to account.
Trainee Solicitor | Law Society Mental Health Accredited Panel Member | Mental Health Department
Mental Health Department | Public Law Department | Trainee Solicitor | Law Society Mental Health Accredited Panel Member
She regularly appears before the Mental Health Tribunal and has acted in complex cases, including section 117 aftercare disputes, nearest relative displacement applications, and restricted patients under sections 37/41 of the Mental Health Act. She also has conduct of an ongoing Court of Appeal matter, demonstrating her ability to manage high-level, precedent-setting litigation.
As a supervisor within the firm’s head office, Lauren brings a thorough, detail-oriented and adaptive approach to her work. She prides herself on providing clear legal analysis, practical advice, and tailoring her advocacy to the needs of each client.
Outside of her legal work, Lauren plays semi-professional football, reflecting her commitment, discipline, and strong team ethic.
Dedicated and innovative, Lauren is committed to securing the best possible outcomes for individuals facing some of the most challenging circumstances in mental health and public law.
Mental Health Department | Public Law Department | Associate Director | Branch Manager | Law Society Accredited Panel Member
From an early age, Hussain was drawn to supporting vulnerable people and advocating for those in need. Growing up with a strong sense of fairness and community responsibility, he committed himself to a legal career where he could protect individuals who may otherwise struggle to have their voices heard. This ethos continues to guide his practice today.
Hussain has extensive experience representing clients detained under both civil and restricted Mental Health Act provisions. He advocates for individuals across a broad spectrum of complexities and backgrounds, including those on forensic pathways, CAMHS matters, and clients with neurodivergent needs. Regardless of the nature or seriousness of the case, Hussain firmly believes that every client’s liberty is of equal importance. No case is too big or too small — his commitment is to provide a consistently high level of representation, ensuring that rights, treatment, and rehabilitation remain central to every matter. He is dedicated to securing fair outcomes and protecting the interests of everyone he represents.
He regularly appears before the First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health), Hospital Managers’ panels and Care Programme Approach meetings, and handles complex aftercare and community support matters, including public law challenges when required.
Clients consistently describe Hussain as calm, diligent and compassionate. He is recognised for his meticulous preparation, clear communication, and ability to identify key issues that may be overlooked. Many clients express that their experience with Hussain and Bison Solicitors has been exceptional — highlighting the firm’s high standards, professionalism, and the reassurance that comes from knowing they are supported by a team with strong expertise and trusted professional networks dedicated to achieving positive outcomes.
Outside of practice, Hussain enjoys staying active, following the sport of boxing, travelling and spending quality time with his family.
What is judicial review and when can I use it?
Judicial review is a way to challenge decisions made by public bodies when they are unlawful, unfair, irrational or made using the wrong procedure. It can be used to challenge decisions by councils, the NHS, Home Office, prison authorities and other public bodies.
How do I know if a public body’s decision is unlawful?
A decision may be unlawful if the authority failed to follow proper procedures, ignored important evidence, applied the wrong legal test, acted unfairly or discriminated against you. We assess the decision, explain your options and advise whether judicial review is appropriate.
Can you challenge a council’s housing or homelessness decision?
Yes. We challenge incorrect priority need decisions, unfair suitability assessments, and unlawful refusals to provide emergency accommodation. We also act quickly where vulnerable people—such as victims of trafficking—have been left at risk.
Do you help with age assessments for asylum seekers?
Yes. We specialise in challenging flawed age assessments, including those that are not “Merton-compliant.” If you were wrongly assessed as an adult, we can challenge the decision and ensure you receive the care and protection you are entitled to as a child.
Can you help if the Home Office refuses my asylum or immigration claim?
We examine whether the Home Office followed lawful procedures, properly considered evidence, and applied the correct legal tests. We challenge refusals, delays and unreasonable decisions affecting your status, rights or safety.
Do you challenge Care Act decisions through public law?
Yes. When Care Act assessments underestimate complex needs or support is withdrawn unlawfully, we challenge these decisions through public law and judicial review, often alongside our Community Care team.
Can you help with prison or parole board decisions?
We challenge decisions that are procedurally unfair, irrational or not based on evidence. This includes parole board outcomes, failures to provide rehabilitation or unlawful segregation or risk assessments.
Do I qualify for Legal Aid for a judicial review case?
Many public law cases qualify for Legal Aid, including age assessments, housing decisions, Care Act disputes and certain immigration challenges. We assess your eligibility and explain any contribution requirements clearly at the start.
Read about recent legal developments in public law and how our cases are helping secure fair treatment for our clients.
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