We are delighted to announce that Professor Leslie Thomas QC has been shortlisted for the Outstanding Contribution to Diversity & Inclusion Award at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2022.
Professor Leslie Thomas QC is an award-winning human rights/civil liberties barrister and former Joint Head of Garden Court Chambers in the UK and head of JC Legal Solutions in the Caribbean. In 2020 Leslie became Professor of Law at Gresham College and visiting Professor of Law at Goldsmiths Law School University of London.
He is a Bencher and advocacy trainer for the Inner Temple. Leslie is a member of the Bar Standards Board for England and Wales, sits on the BSB’s Race Equality Taskforce and is deputy chair of the Equality Diversity and Inclusion sub-committee for the Inner Temple. Leslie has advanced the careers of a generation of BAME lawyers and students through mentoring and training over many years.
Leslie has spent his entire career representing clients from diverse backgrounds, acting for vulnerable, marginalised and disadvantaged people, who seek justice and accountability from the state and others. He has appeared in many landmark cases such as the inquest into the death of Mark Duggan, who was shot dead by police sparking national riots; the inquiry into the death of Azelle Rodney, who was unlawfully killed by the police; and the Hillsborough inquests for 11 families.
Leslie has a UK-wide reputation in civil liberties and human rights. He has acted as counsel and advocate in dozens of high-profile Article 2 inquiries, such as the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. His expertise, adroit handling of sensitive matters and dedication to vulnerable clients are widely acknowledged across the country.
Professor Leslie Thomas QC's autobiography Do Right and Fear No One is an intimate and personal record of some of the most significant, controversial and disturbing legal cases of the last fifty years and lays bare the very heart of the law enforcement and judicial process. It’s an unforgettable account of an idealistic and outspoken lawyer’s coming of age as a Black man in London, and a powerful portrait of the lives of those he has fought for.
The Chambers UK Bar Awards 2022 will take place on Thursday 17 November at Old Billingsgate, London.
