Jen Robinson’s Groundbreaking Law Career

Jennifer Robinson is a prominent human rights lawyer and barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in London, best known for her work as a legal adviser to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.

Born and raised in Berry, Australia, the daugher of a teacher mother and horse trainer father, Robinson’s passion for human rights began during her undergraduate studies at the Australian National University, where she completed a double degree in Law and Asian Studies. 

Something of a celebrity lawyer, she is even more now with the deal for the pleading and return home of Julian Assange.

The Daily Mail dubbed her “The A-list’s go-to lawyer”, publishing pictures of her with celebrity acquaintances and friends. There’s pictures of her with Bill Murray when they attend the wedding of George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin, with whom Jennifer Robinson worked at Doughty Street Chambers.

Now she has been the Assange lawyer after he released 250,000 secret US diplomatic cables, causing a global furore that is only now seeing the infamous Australian return home.

In fact the Assange representation, together with mentor Geoffrey Robinson came for another reason and following the release of the documents when  Assange was accused of sexually assaulting two women in Sweden (which he denied), and following which he contacted Doughty Street Chambers for Geoffrey Robinson. 

Her Instagram (SuigenerisSue) includes pictures of her at Royal Albert Hall with Kylie Minogue. She’s a friend of Stephen Fry and many others – most famously with her recent jet-travelling companion Julian Assange.

But the glamour is not what makes this legal star a ‘star’. She has a laser-focused mind and will to do better in the world, particularly when it comes to human rights issues.

She graduated in 2006 with the University Medal in Law and went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) and an MPhil in Public International Law.

It was at Oxford that she met a fellow Australian human rights barrister, Geoffrey Robinson KC in whom she found a mentor who shared her human rights interests and encouraged her to think with intellectual rigor and to also think creatively about the law.

Robinson’s legal career has been marked by high-profile cases and a commitment to human rights advocacy.

Advising Julian Assange and Wikileaks over 14 years has been a major claim to fame for the bright lawyer with the strong human rights record, but she has also been involved in some other major freedom of speech cases in recent years, including –

1. Representing actress Amber Heard in the UK libel lawsuit between The Sun and Johnny Depp in the now infamous legal fights between the two.
2. Advising The New York Times during the Murdoch phone-hacking scandal
3. Conducting human rights missions for the International Bar Association, including investigating the treatment of human rights defenders in Syria
4. Representing Indigenous Australians in cases involving deaths in custody and missing and murdered Indigenous women and children.

Robinson is also actively involved in the West Papuan independence movement, representing the leader in exile and co-founding International Lawyers for West Papua. She has worked with various clients, including Richard Dawkins and major media organizations.

Human Rights Law

In addition to her legal practice, Robinson serves as Director of Legal Advocacy for the Bertha Foundation, where she has created a global public interest law program to encourage law students and emerging lawyers to pursue careers in human rights. 

She is also an Adjunct Professor in Law at the University of Sydney and sits on the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Law Association.Robinson’s work has earned her recognition, including being named a National Pro Bono Hero by the UK Attorney-General in 2008. 

She is known for her strategic approach to law, seeking cases that can set precedents or push the law forward. 

Working from profile Doughty Street Chambers, she has fitted the innovative chambers that focus on access to justice and human rights law issues, set up apart from the traditional London Inns of Court.

Recently, she co-authored a book titled “How Many More Women? Exposing how the Law Silences Women,“ which explores the legal response to the #MeToo movement and addresses how the law fails victims of gender-based violence.

She has needed to deal with sexist issues during her rise through the legal ranks from Oxford University to the London Bar, explaining as much to the Australian Women’s Weekly in a recent profile piece:

Yet sexism would continue to menace her, particularly as her profile rose. When she advised actress Amber Heard, who gave evidence in the UK libel lawsuit between The Sun and Johnny Depp, the hatred rained down on Amber, and Jennifer. The experience forms a chapter in her book, How Many More Women?, co-authored with fellow lawyer Keina Yoshida, which addresses how the law fails victims of gender-based violence. – Australian Women’s Weekly article, June 2024

Throughout her career, Robinson has faced challenges, including death threats and intense media scrutiny, particularly during high-profile cases like the Amber Heard representation and other legal issues that have brushed up against public sensibilities and issues. 

Despite these obstacles, she remains committed to using the law as a tool for social justice.

Her position as a celebrity human rights lawyer now places her a little to the side and below the likes of her former colleague from Doughty Street Chambers, Amal Clooney.