Retired Barrister Criticizes Good Law Project’s Campaign
AI-generated context summary requested by a Free News Reader user. Sourced via Gemini from publicly available information — no paywalled content was accessed.
You hit a paywall. Here’s the context on this topic based on publicly available information. We did not access any paywalled content. View original article.
Retired Barrister Criticizes Good Law Project's Campaign
- Retired barrister Barbara Rich has publicly criticized the Good Law Project's campaign for a public inquiry into the death of Professor Jason Arday, labeling it "high outrage, low effort activism."
- Jolyon Maugham KC, founder of the Good Law Project, acknowledged Rich's point regarding a "donate" button on their petition page after initially denying fundraising in connection with Arday's death.
Full Summary — powered by AI
Barbara Rich, a retired barrister, has voiced strong criticism of the Good Law Project (GLP) and its founder, Jolyon Maugham KC, particularly concerning their campaign following the death of Professor Jason Arday. Rich characterized the GLP’s petition for a public inquiry into Arday’s death as “high outrage, low effort activism,” suggesting it was primarily a means for the GLP to expand its database and solicit donations.
Professor Jason Arday, the youngest Black professor at Cambridge University, died on August 14, 2026, following what the Good Law Project and others describe as a “relentless media campaign” against him. The GLP alleges that this media attention, which included 249 articles published in 22 days, was racist and contributed directly to his death. They are calling for a public inquiry into press conduct and regulation.
Maugham initially denied that the GLP was fundraising in connection with Arday’s death during a BBC interview. However, he later issued a statement on August 26, 2026, admitting that a “donate” button was indeed present on the petition page. He attributed this to not having “rebuilt our site to remove all general donate asks” and acknowledged Rich’s point as “right about this narrow point.” Rich has previously criticized the GLP, including its change in ownership structure to a Jersey “purpose” trust in May 2026, which she stated allowed it to operate “without the burden of charity registration.” Maugham founded the Good Law Project in January 2017, and it operates as a not-for-profit company using litigation, investigations, and public mobilization for its campaigns.