Latest News

  • New trustees put FRU in a great position
    Tue, 12/10/2024 - 15:06

    We're pleased to confirm our additional trustees, helping to tackle the challenges of the future.

    We have appointed 7 new trustees from a variety of backgrounds. Together with our 4 existing trustees we are well placed to identify and address how FRU should develop over the next few years.

    Our new trustees are:

    • Solicitor Anne Collins
    • HR specialist Naomi King
    • Civil servant Arthur Lau
    • Solicitor Sam Pape
    • Justice sector consultant Neil Amos
    • Pupil barrister Daniel Hallstrom and prospective pupil barrister Jamie Miller have been elected as trustees from the Active Members of FRU.

    Existing trustee Michael Fealy KC becomes our chair, and Arthur Lau becomes our treasurer. Sean Jones KC, Sarah Bergstrom and Fenella Morris KC remain as trustees.

    FRU Chief Executive David Abbott said "I'd like to welcome our new trustees and thank them for agreeing to become part of our governance. We have a fantastic range of skills and experience available to help us to plan for the future. Together with our existing trustees who bring their organisational knowledge we are in a great position to develop our service".

  • FRU Christmas operating times
    Wed, 11/27/2024 - 09:59

    The FRU office will close for the festive period at close of business on Friday 20 December. We will re-open on Monday 6 January 2025. We won't be able to accept any case that is listed for hearing during that period. If you intend to refer a case with a hearing during the first week of January (6th-10th), we would advise you to contact us in advance to check whether we will be in a position to accept the referral.  Please note that on Friday 20th December, we can only respond to urgent emails sent to admin@thefru.org.uk.

  • Welcome to Brandi, Vicky and Richard
    Tue, 11/12/2024 - 10:04

    It's not every week that we welcome not one but three new assistant legal officers (ALO).

    Brandi Amiss-Towler, Vicky Quinn and Richard Gillingham have joined us over the last week. Our ALOs are the mainstay of volunteer supervision, and they also take on a range of tribunal cases themselves to develop their legal skills.

    Brandi and Richard have already done pro bono advocacy with FRU. Brandi also has experience volunteering with the University of Westminster and Advocate and is a psychologist. Richard has experience gained with regulators in the government legal service and in trade union work. Vicky joins us from a secondment on a death row project in the USA and she has previously been a teacher. 

    FRU CEO David Abbott said "we are very pleased to welcome Brandi, Vicky and Richard to our team. I know that they will use their skills to make a huge contribution to our work. Our thanks go to Trust for London and ICBET for funding the posts".

  • Barrister of the Year Jason Beer KC speaks at our Annual General Assembly
    Tue, 10/22/2024 - 09:48

    We're delighted to announce that Jason Beer KC will be speaking at our forthcoming Annual General Assembly (AGA). Jason has national prominence as lead counsel to the Post Office Inquiry. He is also Head of Chambers at 5 Essex, a Deputy High Court Judge and Crown Court Recorder. Jason was awarded the accolade of Barrister of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2024.

    The AGA will celebrate our achievements over the last 12 months and welcome new FRU trustees. Importantly new trustees will be elected from our volunteer members.

    The AGA takes place on Wednesday 13th November from 6.30 in The Bingham Room, Gray's Inn. Places can be booked by emailing chief.exec@thefru.org.uk. FRU volunteers are particularly welcome.

  • Latest annual report celebrates our 2023 achievements
    Wed, 10/09/2024 - 11:29

    We are pleased to publish our latest annual report and accounts. The report covers the 12 months to December 2023.

    Highlights of the report include:

    • Our work on complex cases in the Employment Appeals Tribunal and Upper Tribunal helps to clarify the law for all workers, benefit claimants and applicants for criminal injuries compensation. For example, we took a case that clarified the extent of a tribunal’s duty to consider claims brought by a litigant-in-person which had not been identified by the tribunal at a case management hearing. This explicitly recognised the difficulties which unrepresented claimants may have in navigating the litigation process when unrepresented. We took another case that clarified the definition of ‘spiking’ offences as crimes of violence for criminal injuries compensation claims. These cases will have a lasting effect for thousands of people.
    • Our work secured hundreds of thousands of pounds for our clients through tribunal awards or negotiated settlements. Our employment team's awards alone raised more than the entire running costs of FRU. This income is crucial for our clients to prevent poverty.
    • We trained around 700 aspiring or junior lawyers in core legal skills and in the specific areas of law that we cover.
    • We hosted a visit by judges and officials from the Turkish Ministry of Justice. The delegation had heard of our work and wanted to understand how we support access to justice, the rule of law and legal education.
    • We held a fantastic celebration for our 50th anniversary. Speakers included Supreme Court Justice Lady Simler, Vice President of the Court of Appeal Lord Justice Underhill and our patron the Secret Barrister.

    The report can be viewed and downloaded at our Annual Reports page.