Akua Reindorf

Akua Reindorf is a British barrister who specialises in employment law, discrimination and human rights law, academic freedom and freedom of speech in higher education^[1]. She was appointed King's Counsel in 2023.^[2] Sonia Sodha, writing in The Guardian, called her "an eminent human rights expert"^[3] and in Human Rights Quarterly as an expert in employment law. ^[4] Although she joined the legal profession, later than most KCs, Reindorf's impact is described in The Lawyer as "huge".^[5]

Reindorf qualified in 1999, and is an alumna of City University and of University of Sussex.^[6] She is a senior fellow in practice at LSE.^[7]

Reindorf was a commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission appointed in 2021 by Liz Truss and left the role in 2025.^[8][9][10] She worked as a Fee Paid Employment Judge in 2020,^[7] was Barrister of the Year in the Legal Business Awards in 2023,^[11] Employment Junior of the Year in the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2022^[12] and one of The Lawyer’s Hot 100 for 2022.^[2]

Reindorf's work has included "challenging, hard-fought discrimination, harassment and whistleblowing cases", including reaching a landmark judgment in Puthenveettil v Alexander & George for a migrant domestic worker, which resulted in the government changing the national minimum wage legislation,^[6][13] and she has led a number of cases regarding the defense of academic freedom and freedom of speech in universities.^{[14][2][15][7]} She is a visiting senior fellow at LSE Law School. She produced the "Reindorf Report"^[16][17][18] for University of Essex into alleged no-platforming of two external speakers (Jo Phoenix and Rosa Freedman) who were accused of transphobia;^[19][20][21] her report was critical of Stonewall's employer Diversity Champions Scheme.^[22] Although the University was reluctant to publish the report, the Information Commissioner ruled that they should.^[23]

As a commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights commission, Reindorf has spoken about the need to ensure that services are designated as single-sex if they meet conditions set out in the Equality Act^[24][25][26] and about discrimination against disabled applicant for benefits.^[27] She has warned against expanding the definition of a woman because she believes it causes problems for the rights of women and LGB people.^[28] In reference to the Supreme Court ruling of 2025 in support of For Women Scotland, she believes the law is complex but the ruling is clear.^[29] She has raised concerns that people have been lied to about trans rights,^[30] and that Stonewall has given bad advice to organisations.^[15][22][31] Reindorf has said that she and Baroness Falkner had been appointed to the EHRC to overhaul the approach to Sex and Gender.^[10]

Reindorf has worked with Sex Matters, intervening at the Court of Appeal in Higgs v Farmor's School.^[32][33] She represented LGB Alliance in their challenge brought by the charity Mermaids,^[34][35] and for James Esses, in his Employment tribunal claim against the Metanoia Institute and the UK Council for Psychotherapy.^[36][37] Reindorf championed writer Julie Bindel in her case against Nottingham City Council after its library service cancelled a talk she was due to give on violence against women and girls and Almut Gadow in her claim for philosophical belief discrimination against the Open University.^[38][39]