Politics and Law

Public Consultation Responses

As a Firm with a long history of involvement and expertise in public affairs, we have responded to many invitations to contribute to public consultations and calls for evidence, including from the European Commission, the UK Government and various independent bodies.

The consultation responses we have provided include:

• Response to the Office for Students consultation on tackling harassment and sexual misconduct in higher education (May 2023)
• Response to the proposed Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement (April 2023)
• Response to the Government consultation to reform the Human Rights Act 1998 (March 2022)
• Further Response to Government's consultation on OSA Reform (July 2021)
• Response to FCA Consultation Paper CP21/25 (July 2021)
• Response to Government’s consultation on OSA Reform (June 2021)
• Response to the Judicial Review Consultation (April 2021)
• Response to the IHRAR’s Call for Evidence (March 2021)
• Response to the Law Commission’s Consultation Paper No: 247 “Getting Married: A Consultation Paper on Weddings Law” (January 2021)
• Response to the Law Commission’s Hate Crime Consultation (December 2020)
• Response to the Call for views and evidence on the Review of Representative Action Provisions, Section 189 Data Protection Act 2018
• Response to the  Constitution Committee Call for Evidence on the Impact of Current Measures Under COVID-19 to the courts’ contribution to Climate Change, Air Quality and the UK’s commitment to Net-Zero Emmissions (May-August 2020)
• Response to the Consultation Paper on Vulnerable Witnesses and Parties with civil proceedings (October 2019)

• Response to the Law Commission Consultation Paper 244 on “Building families through surrogacy: a new law” (September 2019)

We have also:

• Participated in the Commonhold Council through the appointment of Philip Freedman, our consultant and former chairman, as a nominated representative of the Law Society.  The Commonhold Council is advising the Government on implementing a reformed commonhold regime, bringing forward solutions to prepare homeowners and the market for the widespread take up of commonhold for blocks of flats.
• Contributed to a response to the Civil Justice Council remote hearings rapid review
• Participated in responses to consultations on IP practice and procedure through membership of committees within organisations such as the Intellectual Property Lawyers Association and the International Trademark Association
• Contributed to a response to the call for review on Disclosure Pilot Scheme (“Disclosure Pilot”)
• Submitted joint evidence, with the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre, to the Public Bill Committee on the Online Safety Bill. These submissions were made on behalf of victims of image-based sexual abuse (or "revenge porn"), and form part of a project that we have been working on with QMLAC to consider how the Online Safety Bill can be drafted so as to best protect such victims.