Barbara Mensah
NationalityGhanaian
Alma materUniversity of Wales
OccupationJudge

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 Luton Crown Court, England.[1][2][3]

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 attended Millfield School[5] and subsequently 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. [4] In 2009 she was named Old Millfieldian of the Year in recognition of her achievement in being appointed as the first circuit judge of African origin.[5]

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.[6] She was awarded an honorary degree of juris doctor in 2015 by City, University of London in acknowledgement her contribution to the law profession.[4]

Publications

  • Mensah, Barbara (2012). European Human Rights Case Summaries. Routledge. p. 1220. ISBN 978-1135339302.

References

  1. ↑ Eleady-cole, George (18 April 2014). "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 29 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Broadening Britain's judicial ranks". BBC. 11 March 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Outrage over man jailed for court picture on BlackBerry". The Independent. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Judge Barbara Mensah awarded honorary degree". City, University of London. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Old Millfieldians of the Year" (PDF). finalsite.net. 7 July 2022. p. 2. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "Barbara Mensah". Black Letter Law Publication. Retrieved 29 January 2016.


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