Barbara Rich
@barbararich.bsky.social
Barrister, mediator (England + Wales) https://www.5sblaw.com/our-people/barbara-rich/ law of inheritance, trusts, mental incapacity + interested in legal history, public understanding of law, crowdfunding. Londoner. https://bleakhouserevisited.substack.com
I imagine you must have seen “advice from a random stranger on social mores” before?
September 10, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I imagine you must have seen “advice from a random stranger on social mores” before?
One for the Little Book of Maugham. This is one of my perennial favourites
September 10, 2025 at 7:51 PM
One for the Little Book of Maugham. This is one of my perennial favourites
And some of the back catalogue
1. Failed judicial review of custody time limits decision in recent trial
2. Supreme Court of Ireland extradition ruling against her
3. High Court of Ireland ditto
4. Previous criminal appeal, reduced sentence, otherwise dismissed
5. Failed vexatious FOIA request
1. Failed judicial review of custody time limits decision in recent trial
2. Supreme Court of Ireland extradition ruling against her
3. High Court of Ireland ditto
4. Previous criminal appeal, reduced sentence, otherwise dismissed
5. Failed vexatious FOIA request
September 2, 2025 at 8:23 PM
And some of the back catalogue
1. Failed judicial review of custody time limits decision in recent trial
2. Supreme Court of Ireland extradition ruling against her
3. High Court of Ireland ditto
4. Previous criminal appeal, reduced sentence, otherwise dismissed
5. Failed vexatious FOIA request
1. Failed judicial review of custody time limits decision in recent trial
2. Supreme Court of Ireland extradition ruling against her
3. High Court of Ireland ditto
4. Previous criminal appeal, reduced sentence, otherwise dismissed
5. Failed vexatious FOIA request
Yes, your comment on the original judgment was percipient. There was also a good letter from Stephen Hockman KC in the Times a few days after the original judgment which was equally percipient
September 2, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Yes, your comment on the original judgment was percipient. There was also a good letter from Stephen Hockman KC in the Times a few days after the original judgment which was equally percipient
And Jenrick’s mistake has been amplified, unnoticed, by Lawyers for Borders, the group encouraging local authorities to seek these planning injunctions against asylum hotels. An embarrassing blunder for whoever posted it to have made
September 2, 2025 at 1:39 AM
And Jenrick’s mistake has been amplified, unnoticed, by Lawyers for Borders, the group encouraging local authorities to seek these planning injunctions against asylum hotels. An embarrassing blunder for whoever posted it to have made
Quite appallingly, the shadow Lord Chancellor and shadow Secretary of State for Justice has posted to X an inaccurate and misleading statement about the Court of Appeal’s judgment, mistakenly quoting and describing paragraph 114 of the judgment it overruled, not the Court of Appeal’s own reasoning
September 2, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Quite appallingly, the shadow Lord Chancellor and shadow Secretary of State for Justice has posted to X an inaccurate and misleading statement about the Court of Appeal’s judgment, mistakenly quoting and describing paragraph 114 of the judgment it overruled, not the Court of Appeal’s own reasoning
There’s a fantastic set of carved alabaster effigies in the church: clothes, armour, animals, all frozen in time, even a miniature bedesman saying prayers for a departed soul, or sole, as it’s attached to the foot of one of the effigies
September 1, 2025 at 4:47 PM
There’s a fantastic set of carved alabaster effigies in the church: clothes, armour, animals, all frozen in time, even a miniature bedesman saying prayers for a departed soul, or sole, as it’s attached to the foot of one of the effigies
A little excursion into legal history. The effigy of Sir William Gascoigne, Henry IV’s Lord Chancellor, who died in 1419, and his first wife, and a memorial to Sir Thomas Denison, an 18th century judge of the King’s Bench Division, All Saints’ Church, Harewood, Yorkshire
September 1, 2025 at 4:40 PM
A little excursion into legal history. The effigy of Sir William Gascoigne, Henry IV’s Lord Chancellor, who died in 1419, and his first wife, and a memorial to Sir Thomas Denison, an 18th century judge of the King’s Bench Division, All Saints’ Church, Harewood, Yorkshire
And Hoffmann and Pinochet is not a relevant comparison. He and his wife were actively involved with Amnesty, an intervener in the case. Past political affiliations of a judge aren’t generally a ground for recusal (see Locabail). None of the parties in the Epping case even asked for it
September 1, 2025 at 3:25 PM
And Hoffmann and Pinochet is not a relevant comparison. He and his wife were actively involved with Amnesty, an intervener in the case. Past political affiliations of a judge aren’t generally a ground for recusal (see Locabail). None of the parties in the Epping case even asked for it
Two important omissions from this story
The reporting barrister, Steven Barrett, is associated with “Lawyers for Borders” who encourage and assist local authorities seeking these injunctions
Complaints about judicial case management decisions are outside the remit of the conduct body
The reporting barrister, Steven Barrett, is associated with “Lawyers for Borders” who encourage and assist local authorities seeking these injunctions
Complaints about judicial case management decisions are outside the remit of the conduct body
September 1, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Two important omissions from this story
The reporting barrister, Steven Barrett, is associated with “Lawyers for Borders” who encourage and assist local authorities seeking these injunctions
Complaints about judicial case management decisions are outside the remit of the conduct body
The reporting barrister, Steven Barrett, is associated with “Lawyers for Borders” who encourage and assist local authorities seeking these injunctions
Complaints about judicial case management decisions are outside the remit of the conduct body
Not tired of London, not tired of life
July 29, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Not tired of London, not tired of life
Thames Valley Police published a fantastic picture of Paddington sitting in the driver’s seat of their squad car as if he had TWOCed it, which showed they had an appropriate sense of humour about it all
May 9, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Thames Valley Police published a fantastic picture of Paddington sitting in the driver’s seat of their squad car as if he had TWOCed it, which showed they had an appropriate sense of humour about it all
A plea for a sense of proportion. Criminal damage is criminal damage. Guilty defendants shouldn’t be sentenced as if the inanimate objects they’ve damaged or destroyed had human qualities and had read out their victim impact statements in court
May 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
A plea for a sense of proportion. Criminal damage is criminal damage. Guilty defendants shouldn’t be sentenced as if the inanimate objects they’ve damaged or destroyed had human qualities and had read out their victim impact statements in court
Have you read Carmen Callil’s book, Bad Faith? It stayed in my mind for a long time after reading it
May 8, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Have you read Carmen Callil’s book, Bad Faith? It stayed in my mind for a long time after reading it
I see you’ve had several replies to this already, Judith. The explanation in the original judgment, quoted in paragraph 23 of the Court of Appeal judgment is here. It was connected with the domicile of each spouse at the time www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWC...
May 1, 2025 at 1:52 PM
I see you’ve had several replies to this already, Judith. The explanation in the original judgment, quoted in paragraph 23 of the Court of Appeal judgment is here. It was connected with the domicile of each spouse at the time www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWC...
At least the judges of the UK Supreme Court forbear from the vanity of auctioning invitations to dinner with themselves for charity
April 30, 2025 at 4:28 PM
At least the judges of the UK Supreme Court forbear from the vanity of auctioning invitations to dinner with themselves for charity
St George and the dragon, church painting in Georgia
April 23, 2025 at 12:42 PM
St George and the dragon, church painting in Georgia
Today 22 April at 5pm I and 5 Stone Buildings colleagues are holding a free webinar on the Assisted Dying Bill
www.5sblaw.com/events/upcom...
www.5sblaw.com/events/upcom...
April 22, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Today 22 April at 5pm I and 5 Stone Buildings colleagues are holding a free webinar on the Assisted Dying Bill
www.5sblaw.com/events/upcom...
www.5sblaw.com/events/upcom...
On a previous occasion in 2019 (the unanimous ruling that Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament was unlawful) when a judgment of the UK Supreme Court attracted public controversy, this selfsame commentator said something very different about the legitimacy of the court and its decision
April 19, 2025 at 1:07 AM
On a previous occasion in 2019 (the unanimous ruling that Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament was unlawful) when a judgment of the UK Supreme Court attracted public controversy, this selfsame commentator said something very different about the legitimacy of the court and its decision
Good Friday St John Passion at St John’s Smith Square, with Polyphony and the OAE under Stephen Layton and a fine line up of soloists and evangelist (two brothers from Hereford cathedral)
April 19, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Good Friday St John Passion at St John’s Smith Square, with Polyphony and the OAE under Stephen Layton and a fine line up of soloists and evangelist (two brothers from Hereford cathedral)
If you want to depress yourself, scroll through posts here containing the text “UK Supreme Court”. Abysmal stuff. A lot of water under the bridge since the prorogation case in 2019 and the absurd judicial hagiography epitomised by this NYT story
April 18, 2025 at 11:40 PM
If you want to depress yourself, scroll through posts here containing the text “UK Supreme Court”. Abysmal stuff. A lot of water under the bridge since the prorogation case in 2019 and the absurd judicial hagiography epitomised by this NYT story
That’s very thin ice to skate on, as I discovered some time ago
April 18, 2025 at 11:19 PM
That’s very thin ice to skate on, as I discovered some time ago
“Deligitimising”. In these posts a lawyer, a KC who formerly practised in tax law, who now runs a not for profit campaigning law organisation he set up, and who has a close personal interest in these issues, delegitimises the judgment of our country’s final court of appeal
April 18, 2025 at 10:31 PM
“Deligitimising”. In these posts a lawyer, a KC who formerly practised in tax law, who now runs a not for profit campaigning law organisation he set up, and who has a close personal interest in these issues, delegitimises the judgment of our country’s final court of appeal