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u/britainpls

r/UniUK r/employmentlitigation r/labrats r/AskAcademiaUK r/cambridge_uni r/uklaw
▲ 12 r/employmentlitigation

Prof Evans v University of Cambridge. You'd think a KC and top solicitors would have warned (forced?!) R to settle instead of risking such a damning judgment

Full judgment here: https://21percent.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/3307960.2023-others-Reserved-Judgment-1.pdf

Cambridge really dropped the ball here. Eleven out of fourteen whistleblowing complaints were upheld by the ET, implicating not only the University as a body corporate, but also the Vice-Chancellor and the former Registrary.

reddit.com
u/britainpls — 9 days ago
▲ 3 r/employmentlitigation

Why is it that, even for represented Cs, R gets to prepare the bundle?

I can understand R preparing the bundle in claims where C is unrepresented, particularly considering that both parties have an overarching obligation towards the ET.

However, why is that a represented C still does not get to prepare the bundle? As far as I know, this is not the case in the civil courts (or indeed in other tribunals).

I ask because of the eternal disputes between R claiming that a given document X is irrelevant, whilst C claims otherwise. A difficult R will end up not including the document, which will require (a vehement) C to prepare a supplementary bundle. Ultimately, this complicates the work of the court.

If R was truly confident that document X is irrelevant, why would they strongly object to its inclusion? An irrelevant document will, theoretically, detract from C's case, as it cannot possibly constitute the cornerstone of any subsequent reasoning from the ET. And, as mentioned before, C might end up preparing a supplementary bundle, so it's not like the document will be forgotten or not seen (regardless of its real relevance).

reddit.com
u/britainpls — 14 days ago
▲ 14 r/uklaw

The (small claims) mediation settlement rate has plummeted from 62% in 2020 to 31% in 2026: what has caused parties to become ever-more-entrenched?

Sources: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/hmcts-management-information-january-2025 and https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/hmcts-management-information-january-2026

Understandably, it is not possible to extrapolate these findings to other tracks or to regimes such as the Employment Tribunal. However, I do know that ACAS settlement rates are also going down, and that the supposed 'flagship' mediation scheme of the Court of Appeal is all but dead. Despite the decision in Churchill, caseload continues to increase in every single setting you can think of.

One might think: Well, it's the AI! AI is obviously behind the number of increased claims and subsequent mediations, which have ballooned from 16,000 (April 2019 to March 2020) to more than 50,000 (April 2025 to January 2026).

AI will happily produce a claim in a couple of seconds, but it will not (in my experience, at least) mindlessly tell a LiP to proceed to a full hearing. It might exaggerate the losses claimed, but remember this data is from the small claims track. In fact, if both sides are using AI, my gut feeling is that entrenchment would be less likely.

u/britainpls — 1 month ago
▲ 7 r/AskAcademiaUK+1 crossposts

Thoughts on the Uni of Cambridge Whistleblowing Employment Tribunal?

https://21percent.org/?p=3806

Prof Evans alleges that he was severely victimised by making protected disclosures, as the University subjected him to a lengthy investigation into a matter could quickly have been established as groundless. Further, he alleged that the University has failed in its duty of care to protect the mental health of a number of members of staff at the IoA [Institute of Astronomy], and especially Dr X, Profs Wyn Evans, Y and Prof Z.

The University’s defence of its actions eventually involved the former Registrary (Emma Rampton) and the current Vice Chancellor (Prof Deborah Prentice) in the matter.

u/britainpls — 28 days ago
▲ 1 r/employmentlitigation

How much more seriously, if at all, do Rs take claims issued by represented Cs?

The general consensus is that solicitors/barristers find it annoying to deal with LiPs. Or, at least, dealing with a LiP is guaranteed to require more work from all other parties.

However, I wonder if it's common for a case to fail only or primarily because the claimant was not represented? Or, do judges take this into account by focussing on the substance (as opposed to the form) of claims throughout the entire process?

reddit.com
u/britainpls — 3 months ago
▲ 4 r/uklaw

Unprecedented employment tribunal delays lead to five year waits

From the article:

The ELA is recommending a new dispute resolution body to cut the number of workplace disputes going to court.

It wants the tribunal service to start using an AI model to evaluate claims, rather than expand them, and to split the caseload into different "tracks" depending on their complexity and their value.

Simple claims could be handled by a legal officer of the court, rather than a judge - vastly cutting the time and expense.

Do you think restoring/expanding legal aid for ET cases would be a solution to this disaster?

As things stand, an inordinate amount of judicial time is devoted to LiPs. We can argue whether this fair or not, but it is what it is. Extra expenses (judges, tribunal members, legal officers) can be directly attributed to the presence of LiPs. Are those expenses really greater than the legal aid that would be provided under the old system? Frankly, I don't think so.

There is also the option of recruiting more judges, but it appears that the salaries are not attractive enough for the London area.

bbc.co.uk
u/britainpls — 3 months ago