We are delighted to welcome Robin Allen KC as the DLA's new Honorary President. Following the sad death of the previous incumbent, Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC, in November 2025, Robin, as one of the founders and a long-term supporter of the DLA, was an obvious choice to succeed him and we are honoured that he has agreed to accept the role.
Many will know Robin as a fearless fighter for justice in the fields of employment, equality, equal pay, discrimination, human rights and public law representing clients in many high-profile equality cases, across the UK and in Europe. These include acting for PC Surinder Singh, the first serving police officer to successfully sue his force for racial discrimination, the many women in the Carlisle Hospital, local government, and Glasgow equal pay cases, for many part-time judges and firefighters securing their rights to a pension, and the former employees duped by the fraudulent Bank of Credit and Commerce. Robin has been instructed in leading equality cases at the highest level in Europe and the HL/Supreme Court in respect of all the protected characteristics, including Seymour-Smith, Seldon, Homer, Archibald v. Fife, Jewish Free School, Paulley (the wheelchairs on buses case) and Lee v Ashers (the Gay Cake case). He advised the European Commission in relation to the making of the equality directives and was a special legal adviser to the Disability Rights Commission. For six years he was Chair of the Bar’s Equality and Diversity Committee, focussing on supporting women and carers to maintain practice, and developing Pre-Application Judicial Education Programme (PAJE) to aid judicial diversity. In 2018 he gave the Hamlyn Lectures on equality law. More recently he has become a leading practitioner in the technology space concerned with the interplay between artificial intelligence, equality law, human rights, and data protection. He has written and lectured widely on all these topics.
Robin adds a personal comment:
“For a very long time, Sir Geoffrey Bindman’s steadfast work in campaigning for equality, was an inspiration for me and for many. So, it is both a great honour, and a deep responsibility, to be asked to succeed him as President of the Discrimination Law Association. I am proud to have been a member of the DLA from its inception more than 30 years ago, and to have worked with, and be inspired by, its many members. I look forward to supporting its work in any way I can in this new role, and in particular to encouraging the next generation of equality lawyers and activists to join and contribute.”
We look forward to collaborating with Robin to further the valuable work of the DLA.