Cloisters

Employment, discrimination, harassment, human rights.

Akua Reindorf specialises in employment, discrimination and human rights law. She is instructed across all sectors of employment in high profile trials involving significant reputational risk, polarising and contested equality issues or serious harassment. She conducts major internal investigations. She is a leading specialist in the higher education sector, in which she works at the interface between university governance and regulation, duties in equality law, public sector duties, academic freedom and fundamental rights. She is valued for her meticulous approach to fact-handling, incisive cross-examination, commercial sensitivity and pragmatism and calm and approachable manner.

Akua's recent work includes:

- The University of Essex “Reindorf Report”: hailed as a “turning point” in the debate on sex and gender, trans rights and cancel culture in universities.

- Representing LGB Alliance (led by Karon Monaghan KC) in the First Tier Tribunal, defending the challenge to its charitable status brought by Mermaids.

- Acting for James Esses, a trainee psychotherapist who was summarily dismissed from his MSc course after he publicly raised concerns about the treatment of children with gender dysphoria. He complains of belief discrimination and victimisation.

- Representing Julie Bindel (led by Karon Monaghan KC) in her anticipated judicial review proceedings against Nottinghamshire County Council following its cancellation of a talk she was due to give on male sexual and domestic violence.

- Representing a prospective parliamentary candidate in internal Party disciplinary proceedings successfully defending charges of transphobia in relation to his Twitter activity.

- Investigating and advising on complaints of antisemitism relating to the Twitter activity of academic staff at two universities, and conducting a major review of a university’s approach to the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

- Representing Aysha Khanom, founder of The Race Trust, in her claim against Leeds Beckett University in which she argued that Critical Race Theory was a protected belief.

- Representing a politician who makes far-reaching allegations of institutional Islamophobia against a national political party.

- Obtaining a landmark judgment setting aside the “family worker exemption” in the national minimum wage legislation on the basis that it indirectly discriminates against women. As a result of the case the government has announced the repeal of the legislation.

- Reviewing the sexual harassment policies, procedures and practices of an Oxford University college.

- Advising the University of Cambridge on numerous aspects of its internal employment policies, including its Employer Justified Retirement Age policy.

Akua was named in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 2022. She is described in the directories as “very robust”, “sensitive with clients”, noted for “gravitas”, and having “outstanding skills all round, including brilliant, highly effective advocacy and incredibly clear, understandable written advice – makes the most complex points seem straightforward”.

Called 1999; appointed Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission 2022; appointed Fee Paid Employment Judge 2020; appointed Treasury Counsel (B Panel) 2019; member of LexisPSL Employment Consultant Editorial Board; delivers training and publishes articles for Discrimination Law Association, Employment Lawyers Association; Law Society; Council of Employment Judges; LexisPSL.

Italian (conversational).

Discrimination Law Association; Employment Lawyers Association; Industrial Law Society; Council of Employment Judges; Association of Women Judges.

University of Sussex at Brighton including University of Bologna (BA Hons; MA).

Photography, birdwatching, literature, current affairs.