Keen-eyed readers may be aware that my book Jobs and Homes: Stories of the Law in the Lockdown has been published this week. The book can be ordered from the publishers Legal Action Group, without you needing to benefit any large tax-dodging companies anywhere. There is going to be a launch this Thursday, where the speakers are likely to include Sue James and Simon Mullings (two of the three most recent winners of the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award), as well as the brilliant Liz Davies, once of the Socialist Alliance, more recently a stalwart of the Labour left, and for many years a superb housing barrister). You can sign up for the launch event here.
What I mainly wanted to do with this post was collect in a single place all the various articles I’ve been writing over previous weeks, (hopefully) introducing some of the themes of the book to new audiences:
‘Why Section 21 has got to go,” Morning Star, 22 March 2021.
‘Online injustice during Covid-19,’ Greater Manchester Law Centre, 22 March 2021.
‘The Eviction Crisis is Already Here,’ Tribune, 25 March 2021.
‘In Disrepair,’ London Review of Books, 1 April 2021.
‘Muted and invisible: Why justice online is justice denied,’ Open Democracy, 7 April 2021.
‘Landlord power is not just bad for tenants. It harms homeowners, too,’ Guardian, 10 April 2021.
‘In defence of lefty lawyers,’ Spectator, 10 April 2021
‘At the heart of the new Conservatism: the private sector landlord,’ Labour Hub, 18 April 2021.
Obviouly, these only add up to a small part of the book, but here’s hoping that they give you a flavour of what the book argues, and the sorts of people – tenants, landlords, etc – you’ll meet on its pages.
Finally, here an early review from the book’s Amazon page – from Stu Melvin the founder of the renters’ union ACORN:
“Through these fascinating insights into how the law and human need crossed paths during this extraordinary year, David Renton tells a story all about people. People in the corridors of justice. People in positions of power. And people on the sharp end. These stories are told with an intelligence and empathy that makes this book un-put-downable. Each case study provides a rare platform for a voice that deserves to be heard, but which the law is not often able to give that satisfaction to. However, without taking away from the stories of Davids clients in any way, in some ways the most fascinating insight is into the author himself, a true “peoples lawyer”. This is a real state of the nation address and an absolute must read.”
lives; running 