An open letter demanding urgent reform of the Solicitors Regulation Authority due to repeated regulatory failures.
Written by John Barwell
Written by John Barwell
Written by John Barwell
Complaining about a lawyer is a two-stage process governed by three clocks: the firm’s eight weeks, six months from the final response, and one year from the problem. This guide sets out the Legal Ombudsman route as it works in 2026 — the April 2023 scheme rules, the £50,000 compensation cap, the £400 case fee (paid by firms, not complainants), current timescales, and what complainants can realistically expect.
Written by John Barwell
Nine months after Royal Assent, the Employment Rights Act 2025 is a half-built statute. Tribunal time limits double on 1 October 2026, but the unfair dismissal changes do not begin until January 2027 — and for dismissal the test is the date the employment ends, not the day the decision is announced. A state-of-play guide to what is in force, what is not, and how to time a claim in the overlap.
Written by John Barwell
Since October 2023 the County Court has had four case management tracks, and the newest — the intermediate track — now covers the defended claims worth between £25,000 and £100,000 that are too big or too complex for the fast track. Track allocation decides procedure and, through fixed recoverable costs, almost exactly what the winner recovers. Here is what to check before you return the directions questionnaire.
Written by John Barwell
The Hillsborough Law has cleared the Commons and is before the Lords — but it is not yet law. We track the Public Office (Accountability) Bill as at September 2026: the duty of candour and assistance, the offences behind it, non-means-tested legal aid for bereaved families at inquests, and the drafting fights still to come at Lords committee stage.
Written by John Barwell
Most of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 is now the law in force. This plain-English guide sets out what has actually changed for subject access requests, data-protection complaints and the regulator — and what has not.
Written by John Barwell
The EAT overturned the strike-out of race discrimination complaints in Waithaka v Barclays. The judgment explains why different managers, incidents and forms of treatment may still form part of one continuing state of affairs for Equality Act time-limit purposes.
Written by John Barwell
Employment Tribunal conduct may be disruptive in effect while mental impairment remains relevant to its cause. This article examines evidence, non-attendance, costs, unless orders, strike-out and fairness to both parties.
Written by John Barwell
Employment Tribunals have broad powers to support vulnerable parties. But an impaired litigant in person may struggle to identify the barrier, explain its functional effect and provide the evidence needed for a proportionate adjustment.
Written by John Barwell
Employment Tribunal proceedings do not inevitably cause mental illness. But for a litigant in person, self-representation can add anxiety, cognitive load and procedural pressure to an already damaging workplace dispute.
Written by John Barwell
A complaint can contain a detailed chronology and extensive evidence while leaving the central questions undefined. An issue map separates the issues, positions, evidence, findings and outcomes that require a decision.