Akil Hunte

Akil Hunte – Lawyer & Social Conscious Entrepreneur

Akil Hunte is an internationally renowned speaker, lawyer, and social entrepreneur whose life’s work is dedicated to inspiring generations to defy barriers, embrace resilience, and lead with purpose.

Recognised as one of the most influential voices in social mobility, diversity, and transformative leadership, Akil’s journey from inner-city London to the forefront of global change exemplifies his commitment to breaking down systemic barriers for others. Growing up in a single-parent household and overcoming personal traumas—including being struck by a car and witnessing the Grenfell Tower fire—Akil emerged as a resilient advocate, equipped with a profound understanding of adversity and an unyielding drive to create opportunities for others.

A multi-award-winning lawyer, Akil is celebrated not only for his impressive legal career but for his bold contributions to community empowerment. He made history as the first student to win Nottingham Trent University’s Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contribution twice, and he was named Outstanding Alumni in 2023. A recipient of the Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship, Akil has collaborated with major legal entities and global corporations, including CMS, CEL Solicitors, Clyde & Co, LinkedIn and The Walt Disney Company, all while inspiring young professionals to find their voice and place in elite circles.

His work has led him to involve himself in international projects, such as conferences in Kenya, economic development projects in Tanzania and entrepreneurial projects in Uganda. His work has also involved local community projects aligned with his values. Akil consults Maxilla City CIC on a multi-million pound development project for young people towards Grenfell tower, works as part of the scrutiny group for Black Men 4 Change and the award ecosystem FutureEd, designed to implement policy and culture change in the UK education system.

Akil’s impact notably transcends his legal work. As a spoken word poet, founder of LinkedIn Skills for Lawyers, Solicitors In The Making, author of “Unlocking Yourself After Lockdown” and chair of NRG Lawyers, he amplifies underrepresented voices and advocates for inclusion in law and young professionals. His co-founding of The New Black Society, recognised as one of the university’s best new societies, reflects his drive to foster leadership, resilience, and vision in future generations. Through his Leading Your Legacy Podcast, Akil brings powerful stories from leaders around the world, encouraging audiences to reflect on their potential and purpose.

A sought-after keynote speaker, Akil engages audiences at universities, law firms, and community organisations, covering themes of resilience, overcoming adversity, and championing social mobility. Akil Hunte is not just a speaker—he is a movement, a mentor, and a catalyst for change, inspiring generations to rise above, lead authentically, and create lasting impact.

Topics

He speaks on a variety of topics which includes:

• Value-Based Leadership;
• Creating a Champion Mindset to Achieve Ambitious Goals;
• Networking effectively and organically;
• Building confidence in your Identity in the workplace; and

How social mobility, diversity & inclusion creates a better workforce

Building Confidence in Identity at work
Akil’s journey into law has been nothing short of eventful. In this talk, he will talk about how the challenges he navigated in his childhood, early adult life and as a trainee solicitor helped him shape his identity as he became a commercial lawyer. From winning awards to volunteering in Tanzania and witnessing as well as experiencing traumatic events, he has garnered a wealth of experience in navigating his way into professional spaces as a black, working class man.

Value-Based Leadership
Over the years, Akil has developed a range of experiences that has led him into leadership roles at an early age. From representing 27,000 students as a student trustee, to co-founding an award-winning university society and chairing a not for profit to support non-russell group students and graduates, Akil knows the importance of value-based leadership. In his talk, he will explain fundamental principles that help to create value-based leaders and how to develop TRUST in teams.

Creating a Champion Mindset to Achieve Ambitious Goals
Amongst all of the experiences Akil has had, he appreciates that the importance of having a fortified mind is pivotal in navigating obstacles in personal and professional development. Providing perspective on how he fortified his mind after going through trauma and obstacles on his journey helps organisations to discover how they can unleash they full strengths of their workforce.

How social mobility, diversity & inclusion creates a better workforce
As a working class, black law student with an entrepreneurial flair, Akil is far from a typical trainee solicitor. He has an abundance of experience navigating conversations on race, ethnicity and social mobility. Not only was he a recipient of the prestigious Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship, he co-founded an award winning society called The New Black. This led him to advise the board of Nottingham Trent University on improving opportunities for African Caribbean Heritage students and  become an External Consultant to the University of Chester in the development of their Race Advocate programme. He also chairs NRG Lawyers, a not for profit that seeks to boost social mobility in the legal industry by improving access to opportunities for Non-Russell Group students and graduates.

Networking effectively and organically
Having not had any family members who were connected to law, Akil grew up having to find answers for himself. This led him to build and develop networks across various parts of society to help him on his mission. He has developed a practical set of tools and skills that can allow people to develop their networks effectively and organically, whilst still being true to your authentic self when securing opportunities in your industry.

Some recent feedback includes –

“Akil’s contribution to the Panel was truly inspirational and we really appreciated his open sharing of insights. The feedback we have had on the event as a whole and his session in particular has been extremely positive.” – Mary Mullaly, Secretariat,

“Akil delivered a brilliant EDI talk on embedding British Values and our CTK Graces into the curriculum. His talk was very personal and heartfelt and Akil had a strong presence in the room. Many of our staff related to what he said and found his session very enlightening. Thank you Akil for delivering a great talk.” Kate Tapper, Director of Continuing Professional Development

“Akil is a fantastic speaker and is super inspiring and engaging. He shares valuable insights with humour, and is very good at engaging a broad audience and relating to each and every person. We’d love to work with him more in the future!” –
Molly Vickers, Senior Marketing and Communications Executive