This time last year I started a website and called it Law, mostly.
My wife had just given birth to our second child. I was euphoric and exhausted and I guess I had quite a few different impulses going on at the time.
I had an urge to write and I wanted to try and share a bit more of what I do with the online world.
It’s come a long way since then.
Here are some stats from 2016:
96 blog posts
20,193 pageviews.
12,847 visitors from 106 countries.
92 likes.
58 comments.
Not bad for a site still in its infancy. That’s not to mention the swells of interest and responses on facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, which are more difficult to capture but no less significant.
What amazes me is how much you can magnify your impact as a lawyer by engaging online. There’s no way I could communicate with so many people by doing talks or workshops in person in one year.
Blogging makes a lot of sense.
I’m delighted that several colleagues at my office have joined me on here to share their writing with you. I hope that continues.
I’m thrilled when I meet new people who have read my blog and provide me with useful feedback and encouragement, (as happened earlier today). It leads to all kinds of interesting new connections and conversations.
The most popular posts of 2016 have concerned major political crises and cases such as:
- Brexit Survival Guide: Permanent Residence applications for EU nationals and their families. My post on what European nationals and their family members can do to secure their position ahead of Brexit. How depressing that the UK has gotten to this stage…
- Full judgment in Theresa May’s student fraud scandal. Law, mostly was the first UK blog to publish the unofficial version of the groundbreaking Upper Tribunal decision (SM and Qadir). The decision affects thousands of students who the Home Office accused of cheating and has tried to deport. For reasons that remain unclear, the judgment had been kept under-wraps until the Upper Tribunal eventually published it after numerous complaints and protests.
- What SEN lawyers can learn from the #bakersmall twitter scandal. This went viral on social media following the uproar over a solicitor who sent tweets gloating about a ‘victory’ over parents of a disabled child in the Special Educational Needs Tribunal. In this post I explain my approach to working with parents and Local Authorities in these highly emotional disputes.
- I’ve posted a lot about Theresa May and her government’s often intractable approach to litigation. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The government’s defeat in today’s Supreme Court judgment on Article 50 joins a long list of May’s legal misadventures. Here are some of the lowlights.
Thank you to everyone who has visited so far and I hope you’ve found something interesting here.
There are changes coming in 2017.
Don’t be surprised if you see more business-oriented posts on this site.
I often help small and medium-sized businesses save money, improve their employment practices and solve legal problems. I help people from abroad to make new lives in the UK. I’ll be telling you more about the practical and affordable services I can offer and explaining why it’s valuable to you or your organisation.
But the law doesn’t exist in a vacuum and neither do I.
In times of political and constitutional crisis, our legal system is an important, if vulnerable, organism. As many countries are swept on a rising tide of hatred and fear, lawyers need to work together in smarter, leaner ways (both on and offline) to uphold and defend the values we cherish against those who would have us believe in “alternative facts”.
Explaining who we are, what we do and why it matters is a good starting point.
That’s what Law, mostly‘s about.
If you’ve been affected by the Brexit referendum or require legal advice on an immigration, employment or business law issue, contact me here, or call 0207 421 8000.
Blogging does make a lot of sense. Not sure how you found the time though Ben. Good luck with your future efforts!