📖 Biography

Alexandra Wilson was born and raised in Essex, the eldest of four children, with a white British mother and a Black British father whose own parents were part of the Windrush generation, arriving in England from Jamaica.

As a teenager, Wilson's close family friend Ayo was fatally stabbed on his way home from football, a tragedy that changed the course of her life and drove her toward a career in law in search of answers about the justice system's failures.

Wilson studied PPE at the University of Oxford, where she was awarded Middle Temple's first Queen's Scholarship, before completing her Graduate Diploma in Law and Master of Laws at BPP University and being called to the Bar in 2018, becoming a junior barrister specialising in criminal and family law.

In August 2020 Wilson published her debut book, In Black and White: A Young Barrister's Story of Race and Class in a Broken Justice System, a memoir documenting her pupillage year and the racism and classism she encountered, including repeatedly being mistaken for a defendant rather than legal counsel inside courtrooms.

Wilson founded the organisation Black Women in Law and co-founded One Case At A Time, and has continued writing, publishing her follow-up book The Witness; she practises as a barrister at Five St Andrew's Hill, specialising in criminal and family law, while remaining an outspoken voice on race and class within the British legal profession.

🕰️ Timeline
c. 1995
Born and raised in Essex, England.
Teens
Her family friend Ayo is fatally stabbed, shaping her career path.
Oxford
Studies PPE, awarded Middle Temple's first Queen's Scholarship.
2018
Called to the Bar.
2020
Publishes her memoir, In Black and White.
2020s
Founds Black Women in Law and co-founds One Case At A Time.
✦ Achievements
  • ◆Author of the acclaimed memoir In Black and White: A Young Barrister's Story of Race and Class in a Broken Justice System
  • ◆First recipient of Middle Temple's Queen's Scholarship
  • ◆Founder of Black Women in Law
  • ◆Co-founder of One Case At A Time
  • ◆Practising barrister in criminal and family law, Five St Andrew's Hill
"
This is the story of a young woman who overcame all the obstacles a very old profession could throw at her, and she survived, with her integrity intact.
— Benjamin Zephaniah, on Alexandra Wilson's memoir In Black and White
🕊️ Legacy
Alexandra Wilson's memoir In Black and White brought national attention to the racism and class barriers facing young Black lawyers in the British justice system, and her founding of Black Women in Law has built lasting institutional support for those following a similar path into the profession.
💡 Leadership Lessons
  • →Personal tragedy can become the foundation of a meaningful career. Wilson entered law seeking answers after the murder of a close family friend, channelling that loss into a career confronting injustice directly.
  • →Speaking honestly about discrimination can shift institutional awareness. Wilson's memoir forced open conversations within the legal profession about the everyday racism and classism young Black barristers face.