Paul Coleman serves as Executive Director of ADF International from its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, where he oversees the strategic legal advocacy and programs of the global, alliance-building legal organization.

Under Coleman’s leadership, ADF International has expanded its mission to over 80 countries with an annual caseload of more than 600 legal matters and built an alliance of more than 1,000 global partners through the world-class Areté Academy training program. With offices in Vienna, London, Brussels, Geneva, New York, and Washington DC, ADF International maintains a full-time presence at major international institutions including the United Nations, the European Union, and the Organization of American States.

Specializing in international human rights and European law, Coleman has been involved in more than 20 cases before the European Court of Human Rights, including numerous precedent-setting Grand Chamber decisions, and has authored complaints and submissions to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, International Criminal Court, Court of Justice of the European Union, UN Human Rights Committee, and numerous national courts.

A leading voice on free speech, Coleman is the author of the book Censored: How European Hate Speech Laws are Threatening Free Speech, and participates regularly in speaking engagements in global forums. He has authored numerous scholarly articles and books, and his opinion pieces have appeared in leading publications in Europe and the U.S. including First Things, The Spectator, Newsweek, Public Discourse, and The European Conservative.

Coleman earned his LL.M. and postgraduate diploma in legal practice, with distinction, from the Northumbria Law School. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws, with first-class honours, from Newcastle University. Coleman is a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.  

Originally from the UK, he lives in Vienna with his wife and two daughters.