Home » News

Latest News

  • A very warm welcome to James Miller
    Tue, 07/04/2023 - 08:29

    We are pleased to welcome our latest recruit, James Miller, who starts with us this week.

    James joins us as an Assistant Legal officer working across social security and employment. James has prior experience with a number of third sector and commercial organisations. In particular James has been a FRU volunteer representing clients in the social security tribunal and supporting the Employment Lawyers Association ELIPS pro bono scheme.

    FRU Chief Executive David Abbott said " it's a pleasure to welcome James to FRU. James will be supporting FRU volunteers and taking cases himself. His post is funded by Trust for London as part of its 'Decent Living Standards' programme. We wish him luck and know that he will be a fantastic addition to our team".

  • Guide to Pro Bono for the Employed Bar
    Mon, 06/26/2023 - 09:13

    We are pleased to highlight the new Guide to pro bono for Employed Barristers.

    Click here to download the guide. 

    This guide was produced in partnership with the Bar Council, the Bar Association for Commercial, Finance & Industry, Advocate, the In-House Pro Bono Group and the Government Legal Department.

    The Guide explains how employed barristers with practicing certificates can undertake pro bono, and the key practical factors to consider when doing so. It provides answers to common questions around insurance and conflict checks. 

    Employed barristers can engage in pro bono work through a variety of channels, be it through a scheme provided by their employer, providing free legal advice at a legal advice centre, volunteering with the Free Representation Unit, or taking on pro bono cases directly through Advocate.

    The benefits to employed barristers taking on pro bono are wide-ranging. Not only is it hugely personally rewarding, but it is also a great chance to enhance your expertise and develop your experience in a new area of practice. It also holds unique benefits for employers, which are detailed further in the Guide.

    We hope this guide is a useful resource and would be pleased to discuss volunteering opportunities with any employed barrister. Please email us at admin@thefru.org.uk.

  • Phone Lines
    Mon, 05/22/2023 - 14:59

    On Friday 26th May our phone lines will be closed all day.  If you need to speak to us, please try to call on Thursday 25th or Tuesday 30th May.

    Alternatively, please email admin@thefru.org.uk and your query will be answered in due course. 

  • The Lawyer Awards partner with FRU again
    Wed, 05/17/2023 - 10:38

    We are very pleased to announce that the leading legal awards run by The Lawyer has appointed FRU as the charity partner. The Lawyer is a leading provider of news on the legal sector. It holds annual awards for excellence in the provision of legal services in the UK. This is the fourth year in which The Lawyer has partnered with FRU.

    FRU Chief Executive David Abbott commented "We are incredibly grateful to everyone at The Lawyer for this support. Since our partnership began, The Lawyer has raised more than £70,000 for our work, in addition to publishing articles about our cases and service to clients. This support has been invaluable to us. We look forward to attending The Lawyer Awards ceremony on the 20th of June and send our best wishes to all the individuals, firms and chambers nominated for their legal excellence."

    https://www.thelawyer.com/event/the-lawyer-awards/charity-partner/

  • FRU cautions against move to single judge ET hearings
    Wed, 05/03/2023 - 14:51

    The Free Representation Unit has cautioned against a move to restrict the use of lay panel members in Employment Tribunals. The Senior President of Tribunals, Sir Keith Lindblom, consulted on how to exercise new powers to determine how many members each tribunal should be composed of.

    The consultation paper stressed that having more members lengthened proceedings and made them more expensive and harder to list. In the context of severe delays in employment tribunal claims being heard FRU agrees that it is crucial to minimise delay. However, we believe that in many cases the contribution of non-legal panel members remains important, and necessary. The increased legalisation of Employment Tribunals leads the need for a better understanding of the realities of the workplace and in our view this is provided through the judicial insight of the panel members.

    The consultations and further information available here.