Stephen Lawrence Day: Reflections on the Justice System and Racial Bias in 2026

Stephen Lawrence Day takes place on April 22nd every year, on the anniversary of Stephen’s death. It was established by the Stephen Lawrence Foundation to encourage a national moment of reflection, to celebrate progress, challenge injustice and empower future generations.

33 years on from Stephen’s murder, this event is an opportunity to reflect on how  the justice system must address racial bias, particularly with those working in the justice system,  victims suffering miscarriages of justice and those who are attempting to reform the system (government policy and the restriction on jury trials).

We will be joined in this discussion by:

• Allison Munroe KC is a barrister at Garden Court whose work focuses on vulnerable clients with a particular emphasis on the protection of their civil liberties. Allison practices in large scale Inquests, Public Inquiries of National and International importance and family public law, crime and mental health. Allison’s acted in Hillsborough and Grenfell.
• Keir Monteith KC is a barrister at Garden Court Chambers, an Honorary Professor of law at the University of Manchester and was lead counsel for Ade Adedeji in the Manchester 10 appeal that led to the quashing of Ade’s wrongful conviction. As a result Keir was named as Lawyer of the Week in The Times newspaper. He is a founding member of Art Not Evidence campaign, that advocates for a limitation on the use of creative expression as evidence in criminal trials. Keir jointly authored the ground breaking report Racial Bias and the Bench which found evidence of institutional racism in the Justice system presided over by judges.

Event details:

Location: Ashworth Centre, Lincoln’s Inn and Online

Timings:
Registration: 17:45
Talk: 18:00 – 19:15 (approx.)
Drinks reception: 19:15 – 20:30
End time: 20:30

Dress code: Smart casual

Accessibility: Information on step free routes and more can be found on our Accessibility page.

Who can attend: Members of all four Inns, legal professionals and law students

If you have any questions about this event, please contact the Member Engagement Team.

Conduct: Lincoln’s Inn is committed to a safe, respectful and inclusive environment. We expect everyone engaging with us to uphold these standards. Unacceptable behaviour will be challenged.