Her Honour Judge
Anuja Dhir, Lady Lavender
KC
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
Circuit Judge
Assumed office
2012
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
Personal details
Born
Anuja Ravindra Dhir

(1968-01-19) 19 January 1968
Dundee, Scotland
NationalityBritish
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2002)​
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Dundee
OccupationCircuit Judge
ProfessionLawyer

Anuja Ravindra Dhir, Lady Lavender KC (born 19 January 1968, Dundee, Scotland), is a British circuit judge. She was the first non-white judge to be appointed to sit full-time at the Old Bailey.[1]

Early life

Born at Dundee in 1968 of Indian heritage,[2] Dhir was educated at Harris Academy before reading Law at Dundee University, graduating as LLB in 1988. A Gray's Inn Scholar, she was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1989.

In 2018, Dhir received an honorary doctorate (Hon LLD) from Dundee University.[3]

Career

Dhir practised as a barrister for 23 years, as counsel for both prosecution and defence for serious criminal cases as well as those involving national security and human rights.

Previously a member of various Bar Council Committees including the Equality Committee, the Professional Conduct Committee and Law Reform Committee, Dhir has been heavily involved in advocacy training in the UK and abroad: she was head of teacher training for Gray's Inn and has led training in India, Sri Lanka, Jamaica (death row cases), Bermuda, Bhutan, Malaysia, Singapore (for the AG), Zimbabwe and South Africa.[4]

Elected a Bencher of Gray's Inn in 2009, she took silk and was appointed Recorder in 2010, before promotion as a Circuit Judge in 2012. In February 2017, at the age of 49, Dhir became a Judge at the Old Bailey.[4][5] Since 2015, she has been a tutor judge at the Judicial College.[5] In November 2018 she made the headlines after sentencing an 18 year-old youth, who had threatened a motorist with a knife, already with a previous conviction for robbery with a knife, to a suspended sentence of imprisonment.[6]

in 2018, Dhir was authorised to sit as a Judge in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division as well as being appointed to the Judicial Appointments Commission as a Judicial Commissioner.[5]

A Governor of the Hackney City Academy School since 2016, she also serves as a Court Assistant of the Haberdashers' Company.[7][8]

Personal life

Married since 2002 to Mr Justice Lavender KC,[9][10] she and Sir Nicholas have two sons and a daughter.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Indian-origin woman is first non-white judge at London court". The Economic Times. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 www.ukwhoswho.com
  3. ↑ www.dundee.ac.uk
  4. 1 2 "Judge Anuja Dhir QC – Hindu Lawyers Association". hindulawyers.org. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Her Honour Judge Anuja Dhir QC". Judicial Appointments Commission. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  6. ↑ 'Teenager who attacked car with zombie knife spared jail because he was kidnapped' www.metro.co.uk, 27 Nov 2018
  7. ↑ www.mansionhousescholars.org.uk
  8. ↑ www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk
  9. ↑ www.royal.uk
  10. ↑ www.counselmagazine.co.uk
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