George is very diligent – he has great attention to detail and comes up with imaginative arguments.
I rate George highly for his approach; he is a great black-letter lawyer but he also understands the commercial context that his clients are faced with.
Though he is relatively junior, he has quite a breadth of experience in public law issues and throws himself into his cases.
Chambers & Partners, 2024
Legal director George McLellan is active across key sectors including health, sport and media.
George McLellan brings tremendous nous and experience to all commercial judicial review and public law matters. He has significant experience of broader judicial review and human rights work. A top choice.
Market leader in commercial judicial review; particularly in acting for well-known and high-profile companies and organisations looking to challenge regulatory decisions.
George McLellan is excellent.
Legal 500, 2024
Practice areas:
George has a wealth of experience in the area of public and administrative law. He supports claimants and public authorities with judicial review challenges, supports participants in public inquiries, and regularly advises businesses and public authorities on lawful public decision making.
George is recognised as a leader in commercial judicial review; particularly in acting for well-known and high-profile companies and organisations looking to challenge regulatory decisions. He has supported clients operating in a range of regulated sectors including transport, health, sport, media, defence, financial services, advertising services, food, consumer goods, construction products, and energy.
He regularly advises UK Government departments and other public authorities on lawful decision making.
George maintains a New Zealand practice through which he supports Kiwi companies operating in the UK with regulatory, commercial, data protection, and other core legal needs. This includes well established Kiwi brands as well as emerging start-ups.
He also supports several charities and community organisations.
Case highlights
- George represented the claimant in judicial review proceedings concerning whether a rail regulator could require heritage rolling stock to be retro-fitted with central door locking: R (West Coast Railway Co Ltd) v Office of Rail and Road [2023] EWHC 3338 (Admin). He worked with Tom Cross and Rapheal Hogarth of 11 King’s Bench Walk.
- George was instructed by a claimant in pursuing a significant commercial judicial review challenge concerning the legality, lawfulness and rationality/proportionality of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 (SI 2021/1368) made by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. He worked with Tom Hickman KC of Blackstone Chambers and Christopher Knight of 11 King’s Bench Walk: R (oao of Kellogg Marketing and Sales Co (UK) Ltd and anor) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care [2022] EWHC 1710 (Admin).
- George was part of a team that helped the Government Legal Department to successfully defend against a judicial review claim brought by the Good Law Project against the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (DHSC): R (oao Good Law Project) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care [2022] EWHC 2468 (TCC).
- George supported a major UK brand in successfully defending the credibility of environmental claims made in its advertising campaigns in the context of a regulatory investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The claim was successful and resulted in the investigation being closed without official findings being made.
- In Summer and Autumn 2022, George supported the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to provide strategic legal advice and support in establishing a new government entity called Great British Nuclear (GBN).
- He supported a global food brand in appealing a preliminary UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code) ruling of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in connection with rules on advertising foods deemed to be ‘high in fat, salt and sugar’. This was the first time a BCAP Decision was ever reversed following an appeal to the Independent Reviewer.
- George has acted for claimants and public authorities in several procurement challenges. He acted for the winning party in procurement proceedings considering whether the automatic suspension triggered by Regulation 95 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 remains in place where the contract decision has been rescinded: Aquila Heywood Limited v Local Pensions Partnership Administration Limited [2021] EWHC 114 (TCC).
