Black Changemakers
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Dame Linda Dobbs
“In today’s world, you must let them know that you are there – willing, competent and able.”
I. Stephanie Boyce
First Black female and non-White President of the Law Society
Alicia Thomas
First Black Partner at Macfarlanes
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah
Campaigner for the establishment of our right to clean air
To mark Black History Month this year, we are celebrating the achievements of Black British Changemakers in law.
Each of these individuals has made a significant contribution to the legal profession, our laws and our society.
Click on each profile to learn more about each person's achievements.
Dr John Anthony Roberts QC (1928 – 2016)
“No matter where you go in the world, you must never forget your roots. I tell people, I don’t fight for equality because we are all equal, instead, I set an example for my neighbours, and that is what I did.”
In 1988, Dr John Anthony Roberts QC became the first Black QC in England and Wales, the first Black Head of Chambers, and the first Black Recorder of the Crown Court. In addition to the English Bar, he was also called to the Bars of 10 other countries: Jamaica (1973), Sierra Leone (1975), Trinidad & Tobago (1978), Bahamas (1984), St Kitts & Nevis (1988), Antigua (2002), Barbados (2002), Bermuda (2003), Anguilla (2006) and Grenada (2007).
Dr John Anthony Roberts QC was born in Sierra Leone. With the intention of joining the RAF he moved to the UK in 1952. After his service in the RAF, Dr. Roberts worked as a civil servant while reading law part-time. After receiving his membership of Lincoln’s Inn in 1972, Dr Roberts set up his own Chambers, 2 Stone Buildings. This Chambers championed diversity and inclusion, with seven female barristers at the same time – a national record in 1975.
Dame Linda Dobbs
First Black and non-White High Court Judge
Dr John Anthony Roberts QC (1928 – 2016)
First Black QC and Head of Chambers in England and Wales
I. Stephanie Boyce
First Black female and non-White President of the Law Society
Dame Linda Dobbs
“In today’s world, you must let them know that you are there – willing, competent and able."
In 2004, Dame Linda Dobbs became the first Black High Court judge (Queen’s Bench Division). She served as a High Court judge from 2004 until 2013. She represents many ‘firsts’ in the legal landscape, as she was also the first black lawyer to join 5KBW Chambers, specialising in fraud and regulatory work. As the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, she set up the first Equality and Diversity sub-committee.
Dame Linda Dobbs moved from Sierra Leone to England when she was seven years old. Her initial inspiration to join the legal profession came from her father, who had been a High Court judge in Sierra Leone. She went on to obtain an LLM and PhD from LSE, where her thesis was centred around juvenile justice.
Since stepping down from the High Court Bench in 2013, Dame Linda Dobbs continues to be a champion of diversity, being a patron of two charities in South Africa with a focus of increasing education and employment and continuing to train judges and lawyers internationally (professionally, as Director of Training at the Judicial Institute for Africa).
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Dr John Anthony Roberts QC (1928 – 2016)
“No matter where you go in the world, you must never forget your roots. I tell people, I don’t fight for equality because we are all equal, instead, I set an example for my neighbours, and that is what I did.”
In 1988, Dr John Anthony Roberts QC became the first Black QC in England and Wales, the first Black Head of Chambers, and the first Black Recorder of the Crown Court.
In addition to the English Bar, he was also called to the Bars of 10 other countries: Jamaica (1973), Sierra Leone (1975), Trinidad & Tobago (1978), Bahamas (1984), St Kitts & Nevis (1988), Antigua (2002), Barbados (2002), Bermuda (2003), Anguilla (2006) and Grenada (2007).
Dr John Anthony Roberts QC was born in Sierra Leone. With the intention of joining the RAF he moved to the UK in 1952. After his service in the RAF, Dr. Roberts worked as a civil servant while reading law part-time. After receiving his membership of Lincoln’s Inn in 1972, Dr Roberts set up his own Chambers, 2 Stone Buildings. This Chambers championed diversity and inclusion, with seven female barristers at the same time – a national record in 1975.
close
I. Stephanie Boyce
"As the first person of colour to become president of the Law Society, I stand as living testament to the diversity, dynamism and growing social opportunity in the legal profession."
In March 2021, I. Stephanie Boyce was inaugurated as the 177th President of the Law Society of the England and Wales, making her the first Black office holder, first person of colour, sixth female and second in-house solicitor.
Her commitment to social justice and equality is woven through her academic and professional career, having obtained a master’s in public law and global governance from King’s College, University of London in 2010. During her tenue as President of the Law Society, I. Stephanie Boyce has focused on bringing a fresh perspective as a Black female, specifically focussing on: access to justice and technology, public legal education, diversity and social mobility, mental health and wellbeing, in-house solicitors, and the rule of law. She continues to inspire aspiring solicitors, the legal profession and beyond.
close
Dame Linda Dobbs
First Black and non-White High Court Judge
Dr John Anthony Roberts QC (1928 – 2016)
First Black QC and Head of Chambers in
England and Wales
Alicia Thomas
“Whenever I’m giving advice to people about applications – whether it be for a job or university – I always tell them to be themselves. If you get it then it means they wanted you for you and, if you don’t get it, then you’ll never be second-guessing whether you would’ve got it if you’d just been yourself… There’s nothing to be gained by pretending to be something else.”
In May 2020, Alicia Thomas became a partner in the tax practice at Macfarlanes, making her the first Black partner at the firm. From attending a summer vacation scheme at the firm, to completing an LLM in taxation at King’s College London and sitting the Chartered Tax Advisor exams ahead of schedule – Alicia is a leading example of a legal changemaker that epitomises dedication, mastery and tenacity.
Today, we know her to be one of the best tax lawyers, with a particular focus on advising in relation to the formation and structuring of private investment funds and investment management businesses. This specialism is coupled with her expertise on structures which include both a UK and US nexus, bolstered from her experiences as a secondee with the tax group of a leading New York law firm.
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah
“We forget that breathing is the essence of life. Every country in the world must enshrine the WHO Guidelines regarding air pollution into law now. I’m putting them on notice.”
A tragic first that’s causing a change for the better. In 2013 nine year old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah became the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death. Now thanks to Rosamund, Ella’s mother; Jocelyn Cockburn, human rights lawyer; and Baroness Jenny Jones, Green Party peer, a new law is being considered in the House of Lords. The Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, named Ella’s Law, would enshrine in UK law the human right to healthy air.
Rosamund campaigned for seven years and in 2020 a second inquest found that Ella “died of asthma contributed to by exposure to excessive air pollution”. The draft bill this led to would take a holistic approach to air quality, with legislative proposals for both internal and external air quality, and a commission to oversee government actions.
Rosamund’s efforts highlight the links between pollution, health, climate change and social justice and her ambitions reach beyond the UK. As a World Health Organisation Advocate, she’s working to declare children’s rights to clean air as a global human right. Rosamund is an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association, and is among British Vogue's 25 Extraordinary Women of 2021, The Times' Green Power List 2021 and BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour's Power List 2020.
In 2004, Dame Linda Dobbs became the first Black High Court judge (Queen’s Bench Division). She served as a High Court judge from 2004 until 2013. She represents many ‘firsts’ in the legal landscape, as she was also the first black lawyer to join 5KBW Chambers, specialising in fraud and regulatory work. As the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, she set up the first Equality and Diversity sub-committee.
Dame Linda Dobbs moved from Sierra Leone to England when she was seven years old. Her initial inspiration to join the legal profession came from her father, who had been a High Court judge in Sierra Leone. She went on to obtain an LLM and PhD from LSE, where her thesis was centred around juvenile justice.
Since stepping down from the High Court Bench in 2013, Dame Linda Dobbs continues to be a champion of diversity, being a patron of two charities in South Africa with a focus of increasing education and employment and continuing to train judges and lawyers internationally (professionally, as Director of Training at the Judicial Institute for Africa).
Alicia Thomas
First Black Partner at Macfarlanes LLP
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah
Campaigner for the establishment of our right to clean air
Alicia Thomas
“Whenever I’m giving advice to people about applications – whether it be for a job or university – I always tell them to be themselves. If you get it then it means they wanted you for you and, if you don’t get it, then you’ll never be second-guessing whether you would’ve got it if you’d just been yourself… There’s nothing to be gained by pretending to be something else.”
In May 2020, Alicia Thomas became a partner in the tax practice at Macfarlanes, making her the first Black partner at the firm. From attending a summer vacation scheme at the firm, to completing an LLM in taxation at King’s College London and sitting the Chartered Tax Advisor exams ahead of schedule – Alicia is a leading example of a legal changemaker that epitomises dedication, mastery and tenacity.
Today, we know her to be one of the best tax lawyers, with a particular focus on advising in relation to the formation and structuring of private investment funds and investment management businesses. This specialism is coupled with her expertise on structures which include both a UK and US nexus, bolstered from her experiences as a secondee with the tax group of a leading New York
law firm.
close
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah
"We forget that breathing is the essence of life. Every country in the world must enshrine the WHO Guidelines regarding air pollution into law now. I’m putting them on notice."
A tragic first that’s causing a change for the better. In 2013 nine year old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah became the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death. Now thanks to Rosamund, Ella’s mother; Jocelyn Cockburn, human rights lawyer; and Baroness Jenny Jones, Green Party peer, a new law is being considered in the House of Lords. The Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, named Ella’s Law, would enshrine in UK law the human right to healthy air.
Rosamund campaigned for seven years and in 2020 a second inquest found that Ella “died of asthma contributed to by exposure to excessive air pollution”. The draft bill this led to would take a holistic approach to air quality, with legislative proposals for both internal and external air quality, and a commission to oversee government actions.
Rosamund’s efforts highlight the links between pollution, health, climate change and social justice and her ambitions reach beyond the UK. As a World Health Organisation Advocate, she’s working to declare children’s rights to clean air as a global human right. Rosamund is an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association, and is among British Vogue's 25 Extraordinary Women of 2021, The Times' Green Power List 2021 and BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour's Power List 2020.
close
I. Stephanie Boyce
“As the first person of colour to become president of the Law Society, I stand as living testament to the diversity, dynamism and growing social opportunity in the legal profession.”
In March 2021, I. Stephanie Boyce was inaugurated as the 177th President of the Law Society of the England and Wales, making her the first Black office holder, first person of colour, sixth female and second in-house solicitor.
Her commitment to social justice and equality is woven through her academic and professional career, having obtained a master’s in public law and global governance from King’s College, University of London in 2010. During her tenue as President of the Law Society, I. Stephanie Boyce has focused on bringing a fresh perspective as a Black female, specifically focussing on: access to justice and technology, public legal education, diversity and social mobility, mental health and wellbeing, in-house solicitors, and the rule of law. She continues to inspire aspiring solicitors, the legal profession and beyond.
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