The ground-breaking judgment of the Supreme Court in R (Unison) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51 was central to the Justice Committee’s May report into government proposals to raise the small claims limit for personal injury claims, Patrick Allen, senior partner of Hodge, Jones & Allen, writes in NLJ this week. In Unison, the court ruled the government’s employment tribunal fees unlawful because they prevented access to justice. Allen writes that past and future civil justice reforms, such as fixed costs and the discount rate, ‘should all be subjected to a Unison test and dropped or amended if they fail’.
31 May 2018
Small claims should be put to the test
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly
Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team
Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees
Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees
Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron
Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes
NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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