We are delighted to welcome Professor Leslie Thomas KC to Somerville for a special in-conversation event with our Professorial Fellow in Law, Professor Iyiola Solanke. The event is titled ‘Trespasser Syndrome in a Profession Full of Privilege’ and will comprise an interview plus readings from Professor Thomas’ 2022 autobiography ‘Do Right and Fear No One.’
Professor Leslie Thomas KC is a leading advocate in claims against the police and other public authorities, in particular where there has been an abuse of state or corporate power. He has appeared in many high-profile cases representing the families of the deceased, including the Birmingham Pub Bombing Inquests, Grenfell Inquiry, Azelle Rodney, Mark Duggan, Christopher Alder, and Sean Rigg. In 2012, he was awarded Legal Aid Barrister of the Year (LALY) and again in 2016 for his work on the Hillsborough disaster. He is currently instructed in the Covid-19 Public Inquiry.
Professor Thomas is a longstanding advocate for Diversity & Inclusion within the legal profession. In 2020, he received the award for Outstanding Contribution to D&I in the UK Chambers Bar Awards and he currently serves as the Master for Equality Diversity and Inclusion and chairs this sub-committee for the Inner Temple. He is also a member of the Bar Standards Board and its Race Equality Task Force, and sits on the London Policing Board. His autobiography ‘Do Right and Fear No One’ on his life at the Bar and some of his high-profile cases was published in 2022.
Professor Iyiola Solanke is a Professorial Fellow at Somerville and Jacques Delors Professor of European Union Law at the University of Oxford. Her research uses socio-legal, historical and comparative methodologies to focus on institutional change in relation to both law and organisations. She founded the Black Female Professors Forum in 2018 to promote visibility of women professors of colour, and the Temple Women’s Forum North to promote engagement between legal professionals and students in and around Yorkshire. She is the author of ‘EU Law’ (CUP 2022), ‘Making Anti-Racial Discrimination Law’ (Routledge 2011) and ‘Discrimination as Stigma – A Theory of Anti-Discrimination Law’ (Hart 2017), as well as many articles in peer reviewed journals.
Following the discussion, refreshments will be served in the Margaret Thatcher Centre’s ante-room from 19:00-19:30.
Sign-Up: Leslie Thomas In Conversation
