Profile
"A veritable guru when it comes to public procurement...practical, objective, and knows how things operate....impresses clients with his 'vast knowledge and encyclopaedic brain'".
Chambers & Partners 2009
"...an extraordinary talent, recommended for public and European law".
Legal 500 2008
Rhodri Williams QC is one of the leading public law Silks in Wales and specialises in European Community Law, Local Government and Administrative Law.
Between 1992 and 1997 he spent a sabbatical with the Commission of the European Communities in Brussels where he worked in the fields of the free movement of goods and public procurement, and latterly he was responsible for the enforcement of EU internal market legislation in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
He is decribed in the Public Law and Planning section of the Legal 500 2006 as "'meticulous'...the circuit guru on European Law", in 2007 as "..having a superb eye for detail, and is an excellent choice for Public Law". Chambers & Partners Guide to the Legal Profession 2008 not only identifies in its Local Government section his "...well-established local government practice. Covering planning, environment and housing law", but also singles him out in the Public Procurement section for "...the 'splendid clarity' of his written work and his ability to say 'here are the risks and this is the way forward'". The 2008 edition describes him as "...a dedicated specialist with an extraordinary reputation in procurement law".
Since his return he has maintained an interest in all aspects of the enforcement of internal market legislation and specialises in that aspect of the law as it affects the public sector, including "public undertakings" e.g. the application of the Acquired Rights Directive to public sector employees.
In addition, both in Brussels and since his return to the United Kingdom, he has gained experience dealing with such issues as health and safety aspects of food production and imports (he was instructed in the BSE enquiry on behalf of the Welsh Office, and was also instructed on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales on the 2005 E-Coli outbreak in South Wales). He also regularly advises the Assembly in relation to procurement obligations and strategies for local and regional government and the situation of devolved legislation in Wales (he was a founding member of the Welsh Public Law and Human Rights Association and is currently a member of its Executive Committee). He has also represented the United Kingdom Government on several occasions before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
He represents and advises local authorities and other public bodies in a wide range of public and private law matters, including public procurement, competition/state aids, as well as planning, environment, landlord and tenant/housing, and contract.
As a fluent Welsh speaker, Rhodri is able to undertake cases in Welsh.
Fields of Work
Public Law/Judicial Review
- JR-decision of council to establish and participate in a mutual insurance company to provide itself with cover of its statutory activities
- JR-refusal by Welsh Ministers of outline planning consent to provide pharmaceutical dispensing services
- JR-challenge by Law Society to LSC implementation of the Carter Reforms amending Civil legal aid
- Potential JR-General Teaching Council for Wales considering disciplinary action agains a head teacher
- JR-failure of LA to provide housing
- JR-failure of LA to provide school transport
- JR-Special Educational Needs
- JR-bullying in school
- JR-school closure (Assembly)
- JR-medical care in prison (Assembly)
- JR-mental health services (Assembly)
- JR-grant funding (Assembly)
- JR-noise nuisance
- JR-care of the elderly
- JR-decision of Mental Health Review Tribunal to release patient
- Public law liability of LEA-disposal of land
- Public law liability of local authority employees/computers
- Policy of repayment to Local Authority (council house purchase)
- Powers of Welsh Assembly Government to provide education funding-Department for Lifelong Learning and Skills (DELLS)
- Data protection legislation (Assembly)
- Registered Homes Tribunal (Assembly)
- Public Law liability re disabled access to beach
- Monies left in will/trust for educational purposes
- Advising local authority on proposed relocation of coroner's court
- Care Standards Tribunal-child minder
- Care Council for Wales-social work bursary
- Drafting Residential Framework Agreement fo Local Authority-care homes providing personal/nursing care
- Closure of old people's home-JR/Human Rights, 'home/contract for life'
Public Procurement/European
- Tender by Welsh Water
- Wales Millenium Centre Site B
- Cardiff Bay Barrage
- The Ultra Public Transport System (Cardiff)
- Funding of marketing company for Cardiff
- Avon & Somerset Police-airwaves procurement
- Housing Association-statutory interpretation
- Procurement of replacement school (arson)
- Gloucestershire Light Rapid Transit System
- Co-Operation Agreement for major development (Gloucester)-consideration of competitive tendering
- Bristol CC payroll/personnel bureau
- Replacement of prefabricated housing
- Registered social landlords
- Use of environmental criteria in the award of contracts (Helsinki)
- Continuing repsonsibility to provide residential accomodation funding-private tenancy agreement
- Liverpool CC weed killing contract
- Health Trusts:
Avon-Electronic Patient Records
Gwent-public contracts
Bro-Morgannwg-services replacement
Conwy & Denbighshire/NE Wales
Glan-y-Mor
Severn
Environmental
- Retaining walls adjacent to Public Highways
- Waste management (Cardiff CC)
- Groundwater Complaints Administrator
Environmental Health
- BSE (Public Inquiry)
- E-Coli (Public Inquiry)
- Salmonella contamination (Cadburys)
Planning
- Planning Appeals for National Assembly-numerous
- Planning applications for leading supermarket chain-numerous
- Pedestrianisation of the Hayes, Cardiff City Centre. St. David's 2
- Redevelopment of Swansea City centre-public rights of land owner, access to premises
- Listed building
- Highway closure
- Green Waste policy
- Parking restrictions at Tenby Harbour
- Land reclamation at Merthyr Tydfil (leading case)
- Immunity from planning enforcement
- Costs of compensation following CPO
Education
- School closure/merger
- School transport
- Educational Negligence (autism)
- Placement
- Exclusion
- SENT
- Enforcement of mediated settlement of previous claim for JR of school uniform policy (appearance of hair)
Real Property
- Tenancy Agreements
- Boundary Disputes
- Right of way
- Discharge of restraint order over real property-Customs & Excise Proceeds of Crime
- Rectification of Land Register-adverse possession of land
- Sale of land subject to a charitable fund for education purposes
Contract
- Price fixing-franchise agreement (dairy)
- Professional negligence-financial advice
- HP leasing
- Interpretation of commercial agency agreement for sale of medical products
- Breach of commercial franchise agreement-estate agents
- Enforcement of commercial option to purchase development land
