Barbara Mensah

Barbara Mensah is a British judge of Ghanaian descent. She became the first circuit judge of African origin in England and Wales when she was appointed to the South Eastern Circuit in 2005. As of October 2016 she sits in the Crown Court at Luton, England.[1][2][3]

Barbara Mensah
NationalityGhanaian
Alma materUniversity of Wales
OccupationJudge

Early life

Mensah was born in Ghana, the daughter of a business magnate. She lived in Ghana until she was six years when she moved to the United Kingdom. She was the first university graduate from her family.[4]

Education

Mensah studied Philosophy at the University of Wales in Swansea before training to be a barrister.[2] She is also an alumna of City University London and Queen Mary University London, both in London.[4]

Career

Mensah was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1984. Early on in her career she took up private sector work and then moved on to sit on a Financial Services Tribunal. She became interested in further judicial work. She was appointed a recorder in 2003. She was appointed as a circuit judge on the South Eastern Circuit in 2005 and is currently (2016) a circuit judge at the Luton Crown Court, the first woman of African descent to attain that position.[5] She was awarded a juris Doctor degree in 2015 by City, University of London in acknowledgement her contribution to the law profession.[4]

Mensah has asserted the need to see talented women and other minorities on the bench to serve as role models to lawyers, stating that "just as it is very important for the public - society at large - to see that there is a diverse judiciary it is also important for the profession".[2]

Publications
  • Mensah, Barbara (2012). European Human Rights Case Summaries. Routledge. p. 1220. ISBN 1135339309.

References
  1. Eleady-cole, George (2014-04-18). "THE BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY:: BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRO-BRITISH " JUDGE BARBARA MENSAH " IS A CROWN COURT JUDGE WHO BECAME THE FIRST CIRCUIT JUDGE OF AFRICAN DESCENT : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "". THE BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  2. "Broadening Britain's judicial ranks". BBC. 2009-03-11. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  3. "Outrage over man jailed for court picture on BlackBerry". The Independent. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  4. "Judge Barbara Mensah awarded honorary degree". City, University of London. January 29, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  5. "Barbara Mensah". Black Letter Law Publication. Retrieved 2016-01-29.


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