News from NWL Legal

Latest updates and opinions from the team

Benefits of Public Service Legal Work

by Meera Patel, Trainee Solicitor Furthering the Public Good One of the main and most important reason why lawyers work in house for local authorities is because it gives them an opportunity to become involved in decisions affecting their local community. As an in-house local authority lawyer you support an important public cause – equal […]

Do I Need a Public Consultation?

This note provides guidance to Officers on when they should carry out a public consultation when they are making changes to services or implementing a project. It also sets out the principles that need to be followed in order for a consultation to be appropriate and lawful. Do I need to consult? There are three […]

Do I Need an Officer Decision Record?

by Louis Sebastian, Legal Services Team Manager and Deputy Monitoring Officer I am often asked by officers carrying out Council business whether they need to complete an Officer Decision Record (ODR). This article looks at what an ODR is and when it is needed. What is an Officer Decision Record? ODRs come from the Openness […]