Robert Rinder


Robert Michael Rinder is a British criminal barrister and television personality. In 2014, while still a practising barrister, he began hosting the reality courtroom series Judge Rinder. In 2019, he also began hosting the Channel 4 series The Rob Rinder Verdict.

Early life

Rinder was born into a Jewish family in London on 31 May 1978. His maternal great-grandfather left Talsi, Latvia – then within the Russian Empire – after the 1905 Russian Revolution and joined the British Army in World War I. The grandson of a Holocaust survivor, Rinder's maternal family roots extend back to Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland. After the Nazi invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, his maternal grandfather, Moses and his family were sent to a ghetto, where Maurice worked in a local glass factory. With most of the family sent to Treblinka extermination camp, Maurice as a worker was then moved to a concentration camp in Schlieben, Germany, to work in a tank munitions factory.
Towards the end of World War II, like other survivors, Rinder's grandfather was moved to Theresienstadt concentration camp by the Nazis. After liberation by the Russian army, an appeal was raised by the British Jewish community to rehome 1,000 Jewish orphans. Maurice, who had adjusted his date of birth in official records so as to appear younger than his 22 years, was offered an opportunity to be relocated to the United Kingdom, where he was one of the 300 children taken by aeroplane to the Lake District and housed within the former aircraft factory located on the Calgarth Estate.
Rinder was raised in Southgate, London and was educated at Osidge Primary School and Queen Elizabeth's School for Boys and the National Youth Theatre. He later gave up acting because his peer and later close friend, Benedict Cumberbatch, "was so good". Rinder studied politics and modern history at the University of Manchester, graduating with first-class honours in both.

Career

Legal

Rinder was called to the bar in 2001 after graduating from the University of Manchester, starting his pupillage at 2 Paper Buildings. He then became a tenant at 2 Hare Court. He went on to specialise in cases involving international fraud, money laundering and other forms of financial crime. He was involved in prosecutions following the murders of Leticia Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis in January 2003, and the defence of British servicemen on charges of manslaughter after the deaths of detainees in Iraq. Since 2010, he has been involved in the investigation and prosecution of alleged bribery, corruption, and fraud in the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Television

While practising as a barrister, Rinder wrote television scripts in his spare time. Upon attempting to sell one, he met producer Tom McLennan. He approached ITV with a proposal for a remake of the 1970s programme Crown Court, but this was rejected in favour of a British version of Judge Judy, and McLennan offered Rinder the opportunity to front it. Since 2014, he has been the eponymous judge in the reality courtroom series Judge Rinder, where he has been referred to as a British Judge Judy.
Shortly after the programme started, he criticised Judith Sheindlin, the judge of Judge Judy, for making judgements based on her preconceptions while claiming that he applied the law seriously and made "real legal rulings". Despite this, he insisted that it be clarified on the programme that he is a practising criminal law barrister and not a civil court judge. As such, he wears his normal barrister's court dress but without the barrister's wig. Rinder received praise for his cross-examination abilities and acerbic comments. His courtroom includes a gavel and flag of the United Kingdom, neither of which are used in British courts but are on display in American courts and televised court programmes, and his show has been criticised as "The Jeremy Kyle Show set in a small-claims court".
In 2015, Rinder released a book called Rinder Rules. In 2016, he presented a new series, Judge Rinder's Crime Stories, with reconstructions of real crimes. He also hosted Raising the Bar on BBC Radio 5 Live, which he started with a discussion with former Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge. In December 2017, Rinder re-launched Crown Court on ITV, newly named Judge Rinder's Crown Court, with a two-part special after a 30-year hiatus.
In December 2018, Rinder hosted Good Year Bad Year, a one-off special on Channel 4 where Rinder discussed the topical highs and lows of 2018 along with a number of celebrity guests. In 2019, he began hosting the Channel 4 series The Rob Rinder Verdict.
Rinder was woken up by Michael McIntyre for the Midnight Gameshow in Michael McIntyre's Big Show which aired on 30 November 2019.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

From September 2016, Rinder competed in the fourteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, stating that he was doing so to make his grandmother proud of him. Rinder was partnered with Ukrainian-born professional dancer Oksana Platero. Prior to the competition, he commented on one of the judges, Craig Revel Horwood: "I'm sure Craig and I will get on brilliantly. He’s very similar to me – thoughtful, honest, clever and modest, and has a good eye".
In his first week, the couple danced a Cha-Cha-Cha to "Mercy" by Duffy and were awarded 25 points. In the second week, when Rinder's grandparents appeared, he and his partner danced an American Smooth to "Marvin Gaye" by Charlie Puth and scored 27. In week 7 the couple danced a classic quickstep to "It Don’t Mean a Thing" by Chantz Powell, earning them 33 points.
Rinder was eliminated in week 11 after scoring 31 points dancing a Samba to "Oh, What a Night". He ended the competition in fifth place.

Writing

In 2014, Rinder started to write a legal-based discussion column in the newspaper The Sun, and in 2015, he released a book called Rinder Rules. Rinder became a columnist for the London Evening Standard in 2017.

Charitable work

Rinder is the patron of Buttle UK and, in this capacity, has run The London Marathon, as well as launching The Italian Job 2018 at The NEC, Birmingham on 10 November 2017.

Personal life

Rinder entered into a civil partnership with barrister Seth Cumming at a ceremony on the island of Ibiza in 2013, conducted by Rinder's friend, actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who had studied as one of Rinder's peers at Manchester University. Cumberbatch was legally entitled to conduct the ceremony because of his online Universal Life Church ministerial ordination, and Rinder was later one of three best men at Cumberbatch's wedding to Sophie Hunter in 2015.
It was reported in January 2018 that Rinder and his civil partner had split up. Rinder was reported to be very upset but said no one else was involved.