Dinah Rose QC lands top role at Magdalen College
Top Blackstone Chambers barrister Dinah Rose QC has been appointed the new president of a prestigious Oxford University college where she was once a student.
The public law and human rights expert will become the first female president of Magdalen College when she replaces the outgoing Professor Sir David Clary in September.
She will be the college’s 43rd president since its formation in 1458 by William of Waynflete, the then Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor.
I am so proud and happy to be returning to Magdalen. Looking forward to meeting old friends and new, in this most beautiful, extraordinary community. https://t.co/dlSsH0jhFD
— Dinah Rose (@DinahRoseQC) February 28, 2020
Rose studied modern history at Magdalen College, graduating in 1987, before going on to complete a postgraduate diploma in law at City University, London. She was called to the bar in 1989 and appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 2006.
Commenting on her appointment, the Blackstone silk said: “It is a great pleasure and privilege to be returning to Magdalen, where I spent three happy and unforgettable years as a student. I look forward to fostering a diverse and welcoming community of scholars, where lively debate, and mutual respect and support encourage our students to fulfil their enormous potential, personally as well as academically.”
She continued:
“Magdalen has in recent years made very substantial progress in broadening access to the unmatched opportunities which it offers. I am determined to do all in my power to ensure that Magdalen is as accessible and inclusive as it is exceptional.”
Rose previously hit out at fellow Magdalen history grad Lord Sumption when, in 2015, he suggested a rush towards gender equality across Britain’s benches could have “appalling consequences for justice”.