Bringing Down Goliath: How Good Law Can Topple the Powerful

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Already the largest legal campaign group in the UK, Good Law Project is shining light into corners the establishment would rather keep dark - from the failures of Brexit to the still-developing PPE scandal, to the tax arrangements of business giants like Uber. Then he started a mildly successful blog, which led to him advising the Labour Party on tax policy and even to fleeting fantasies of becoming attorney-general in the House of Lords in an Ed Miliband government. This book's main character, Mercedes Grant, was a naïve, beautiful woman who was challenged by the painful death of both parents at a young age.

It may not be quite coherent enough to be a threat to the rule of law, but it is a dangerous watershed in the mainstreaming of an ideology utterly inimical to our present legal system. His new “book”, Bringing Down Goliath, is a tedious, almost unreadable combination of Pooterisms , delusions of grandeur, and descriptions of his tweeting — intermixed with rambling thoughts.

The English legal system and the impression that the UK is a just land is worryingly in jeopardy from the onslaught of the rise of the right. He plays a prominent role in the campaign against Brexit, making legal challenges and supporting the revocation of Article 50.

His book, due out on Thursday (April 27), discusses these cases and alleged "failings" in the UK’s judicial system. Critics argued that this violated the cab rank rule, according to which lawyers act for whoever seeks their services. In addition to an explanation about how the law in this country actually works - all written in a very accessible, and sometimes amusing, way.But offering attention to such issues with a single spotlight, is like the RSC putting on Hamlet with only one actor.

Where the book is let down is perhaps by its pacing, the early chapters were a bit dry in offering a basic introduction to the English legal system (albeit it, as a lawyer myself, they may be of greater interest to someone new to the subject), and the books closes by focusing on the blatant corruption concerning PPE contracts in the early stages of the pandemic. The explanation for these contradictions is simply that, to Maugham, ideology is the first condition of judging, and the law is merely an instrumentality to achieve his preferred political ends. His insight into the Uber business model is insightful, nuanced and draws effectively on his own expertise. With astonishing panache and determination, Jolyon Maugham has taken on some of the most powerful and corrupt interests in the UK - and won. To find out, GLP is supporting the Marine Conservation Society, family-run business Richard Haward’s Oysters and surfer-activist Hugo Tagholm in bringing a case against the Environment Secretary.

The absolute contempt our government hold for us and trust that their money and our apathy will shield them from any form of accountability. Mercy Grant had a dream of becoming a hairstylist and living a quiet existence with her husband and child. In 2022, together with ClientEarth and Friends of the Earth, GLP scored a big win when the High Court ruled that the government’s net zero strategy was unlawful. We need, more than ever, a strong diverse and inclusive judiciary; we undermine the rule of law at our peril. The reviewer - not Rowling - claimed that Maugham was "a first-time author who should not be encouraged to re-offend ever again".