Andrew Lidbetter

Partner

London

Andrew is a dispute resolution partner heading the firm’s London-based public law practice.

Andrew is a solicitor advocate who has considerable experience assisting clients in relation to a wide range of regulatory/public law and other commercial disputes. Andrew is listed as the only Star Individual in Chambers and Partners and in the "Hall of Fame" in Legal 500 for administrative and public law, in band 1 for public inquiries in Chambers and as a leader in professional discipline in both directories.

His practice includes judicial review, professional regulation, public inquiries, human rights and freedom of information issues.

Andrew's practice covers many sectors including accountancy, consumer products, financial regulation, gambling including casinos and lotteries, gas and electricity, health, local government, pensions, planning and environment, professional discipline, public sector projects, tax, telecoms and broadcasting, transport and water.

He is the author of numerous publications. In particular, he has written the book Company Investigations and Public Law about Department of Trade and Industry (now the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) investigations, and is responsible for the judicial review, human rights and references to the Court of Justice of the EU chapters in Blackstone’s Civil Practice. Andrew is also on the advisory board for the leading judicial review journal JR.

Background

Andrew has a First Class degree in Jurisprudence and a BCL from Worcester College, Oxford and qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1990.

Andrew trained with Herbert Smith Freehills in London and was promoted to partner in 1998. He leads the firm’s UK public law practice.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH intervening in a judicial review in the Supreme Court challenging the Prime Minister's decision to advise HM The Queen to prorogue Parliament for an exceptional length of time
KPMG in the successful defence of a judicial review in the Court of Appeal concerning KPMG's independent review of a UK bank following allegations of failings in the sale of interest rate hedging products
Telefonica successfully intervening in two judicial reviews of Ofcom brought by other companies concerning spectrum auctions
EdF as an interested party in relation to the successful defence of a judicial review concerning a planning consent at Sizewell B nuclear power station
Clients in relation to the Public Inquiry into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse
The AIRE Centre in various interventions including in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in cases involving the application of EU and ECHR law
Liberty, Child Poverty Action Group and the Public Law Project in a case in the Supreme Court in the context of the "bedroom tax" concerning the remedy that a tribunal can give when it concludes that secondary legislation is incompatible with the Human Rights Act