I visited the Guardian Newspaper’s offices for the first time last night to listen to former ANC leader Denis Goldberg and Denis’ and Nelson Mandela’s Rivonia Trial lawyer Joel Joffe in conversation with former British High Court judge Nick Stadlen.
The event was held for Guardian newspaper members, as the men are in London to receive the freedom of the City of London from UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Continue reading “Saluting the Survivors of The Rivonia Trial”
A wonderful day at London’s Southbank Centre (my favourite place in London) yesterday attending its ‘Being a Man Festival‘.
I attended a few of the sessions but, by far, my favourite was the discussion entitled ‘Kanye West and the Paradox of Black Male Identity in Hip-Hop’, which was chaired by the writer and broadcaster Ekow Eshun in conversation with 2015 Booker prize winner Marlon James and Matrix Chambers barrister Matthew Ryder QC.
Marlon was kind enough to sign a copy of his Booker prize winning ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings‘ for me afterwards.
I was honoured to be invited to watch the opening night’s screening of director Sarah Gavron’s new film ‘Suffragette‘ by her proud mum Nicky Gavron, my old boss, the former Deputy Mayor of London and still a London Assembly Member.
The film was superb. It was also the first time in Hollywood history that a film’s writer, director and main protagonists were all female.
To be so visually reminded of what the suffragettes went through – the police surveillance, community shunning, imprisonment, beatings, torture and force-feeding – strengthened my resolve to continue to play as full a role I can in the democratic life of this country.
Nicky is right to be so proud of Sarah for having made this vitally important film. We owe the Suffragettes our deepest gratitude and I’m glad this film has helped their own voices to be heard.
I am deeply honoured (and shocked) to have been chosen as the 2014 recipient of the Law Centres Network’s ‘Reita Clarke Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement‘ on Friday 28th November, the day after my Call to the Bar by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.
The Reita Clarke Memorial award was created in memory of the late Reita Clarke, long-time Trustee of Luton Law Centre and member of LCN’s Executive Committee. It is awarded every year at LCN’s national conference in recognition of outstanding work by people within the Law Centres movement.
The judges said they chose me because of my “award winning initiatives, (my) dynamism and creativity, and for (my)commitment to justice for the people of Hackney”.
I would like to thank my colleagues at Hackney Community Law Centre (HCLC) for nominating me (secretly) for the award and for giving me such strong support since I joined HCLC.
It is such an honour to have been called to the Bar of England and Wales by my Inn, The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.
I absolutely love constitutional law. My favourite ever case is M v Home Office ([1994] 1 AC 37) and constitutional law is one of the top three areas I wish to practise in should I ever have the opportunity to go to the Bar.
I was therefore overwhelmed with happiness that My Call was proposed by former Lord Justice of the Appeal Sir Stephen Sedley, who is a Master of the Bench at Inner Temple.
In his time as a senior judge in the Court of Appeal, Stephen did so much to advance the development of constitutional law and, though now retired, he still writes and lectures prolifically. I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing start to my career as a barrister than to have him propose me.
Thank you again to Sir Stephen Sedley and to Inner Temple for the amazing support they have given me in my legal career thus far.