Call of justice
W hen Amber Heard fronted the world’s media outside London’s High Court in July last year and spoke of how “incredibly painful” it had been to relive the “traumatic” details of her break-up with husband Johnny Depp, it wasn’t just the 34-year-old Hollywood actress who made headlines. Following an explosive three-week libel trial, articles swirled about the identity of the woman standing steadfastly next to Heard. The one dressed in a beautifully tailored red dress who had also accompanied her to court each day, sometimes even holding her hand.
Back in 2014, when the same woman was snapped riding stylishly on the back of a water taxi at the Venice wedding of her close friend and work colleague Amal Clooney, the world’s media jumped to identify her. Who was that blonde wearing a backless Johanna Johnson dress laughing along with fellow guest Bill Murray as they waved to well-wishing onlookers?
As it transpires, Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson has never coveted making her own headlines. But since the global attention of the Johnny Depp case, she’s inadvertently gone from being a behind-the-scenes resource and confidante to being labelled the ‘A-list’s go-to lawyer’ by UK media.
Over breakfast on a brisk Bondi morning, wearing a silk shirt the colour of clotted cream, Robinson insists she didn’t aim to make headlines purely for publicity, especially with her wardrobe choices.
“I don’t choose my clothes to make a statement, I choose my clothes because of what I feel good in,” she clarifies. “And as a lawyer, why shouldn’t I wear what I want? What I wear shouldn’t be the subject of conversation … But, it was interesting, there was a lot of commentary about my fashion choices during the [Johnny Depp] trial, which was
