Independent, practical help for litigants in person in England & Wales.
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
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.
Written by John Barwell
Templates can improve clarity and consistency. The accountability problem begins when standard wording replaces engagement with the individual complaint, evidence and circumstances.
Written by John Barwell
A final response may close a file, but that does not always mean the complaint has been answered. Administrative closure belongs to the process. Substantive resolution belongs to the issue.
Written by John Barwell
A decision does not need to discuss every document. But where central evidence disappears from the reasoning, the person affected may be unable to understand how the issue, evidence, finding and outcome connect.
Written by John Barwell
A response can be complete in form and incomplete in substance. The accountability problem lies in the gap between the issue raised and the question answered.
Written by John Barwell
Outcome is not explanation. Reasons matter because they make decisions intelligible, accountable and capable of proper scrutiny.
Written by John Barwell
Sending is communication. Service is a legal act. This Legal Lens article explains why emailing a civil claim form can fail if the rules on service, solicitor authority, email consent, nominated addresses, sealed documents and timing are not followed.
Written by John Barwell
A careful Legal Lens analysis of John Edwards, the ICO, reported leadership uncertainty and the accountability standards expected of the UK’s data watchdog.
Written by John Barwell
A quiet May 2025 change to the Equal Treatment Bench Book removed a written-only evidence adjustment for mental health disabilities—raising concerns about access to justice as tribunals demand increasingly “objective” medical proof for adjustments and postponements.
