We are delighted to announce that our Keir Monteith KC has been appointed as an Honorary Professor of Law at University of Manchester, within the School of Social Sciences, promoted from his previous role as an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Law.
On his promotion, Keir commented:
“I would like to thank The University of Manchester for promoting me to Honorary Professor of Law and for recognising the role academic research plays in identifying and evidencing institutional racism in our criminal justice system.
Academics at The University of Manchester have made a huge contribution to tackling this stain on our system of justice. They understand why it matters and what it means for those against whom our system discriminates.
I had the privilege of working with many of these academics to produce the groundbreaking ‘Racial Bias and the Bench’ report which continues to influence how politicians and civil society understand where institutional racism comes from and the impact it has.
Special thanks go to Professor Quinn who first introduced me to the Moss Side miscarriage of justice case and encouraged and assisted me to contribute to academic journals. Professor Quinn was an inspirational co-lead author of Racial Bias and the Bench. Although the Courts have so far refused to make system-level change in light of this evidence I am confident that one day soon, judges will acknowledge institutional racism in the justice system and take concerted action to combat it.
Their judgments will soon articulate why the criminal justice system needs to be anti-racist. They will make recommendations to change the legal landscape, and they will underline that any conviction contaminated by racism is unsafe. Until then, there is much work to be done, and I look forward to more collaborations with colleagues old and new at The University of Manchester in my role as Honorary Professor.”
About Keir Monteith KC
Keir Monteith KC is a part-time Criminal Court Judge, a judicial tutor and leading silk who represents clients facing heavyweight criminal allegations. He has been instructed in numerous murders, industrial scale Class A drug importations and conspiracies, escape from custody cases and appeals against conviction and sentence.
Keir acted as counsel for Ade Adedeji in the historic Manchester 10 appeal, leading to the quashing of Ade’s wrongful conviction. He also drafted the CCRC application for the Moss Side miscarriage of justice case. Keir is also a founding member of Art Not Evidence campaign, launched to advocate for a limitation on the use of creative expression as evidence in criminal trials.
In July 2021, Keir became a Simon Fellow at the University of Manchester to work on research founded on a deep understanding of racism as both structural and interpersonal and projects on installing fairer treatment in the justice system.
Keir was appointed as a School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (SALC) Simon Industrial and Professional Fellow in 2022. Along with Professor Eithne Quinn, Keir was lead author of the report Racial Bias and the Bench. A follow-up report this year will coincide with the end of the five-year Judicial Inclusion & Diversity Strategy.
In early 2025, Keir and Eithne made a submission to the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts on the issue of racial bias. Keir also assisted in advising on aspects of the University of Manchester report ‘Compound Injustice’ authored by Professor Eithne Quinn, Erica Cane, and Will Pritchard.
Keir has worked closely with Creative Manchester since 2023, particularly in relation to the AHRC Prosecuting Rap project, on which Keir was Lead External Advisor.
Keir is ranked for criminal law in Chambers UK and the Legal 500, and is also ranked in Tier 1 for Fraud in the Legal 500. He is shortlisted for the DEI: Outstanding Contribution Award at Chambers UK Bar Awards 2025.
He was shortlisted for Financial Silk of the Year at Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024. He was also recognised as Lawyer of the Week in The Times newspaper in 2025.
Keir is a SHiFT trustee and a member of the JUSTICE Council.
