| Intro | Ghanaian judge |
| Is | Judge |
| From | Ghana |
| Type | Law |
| Gender | female |
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 presides over the Luton Crown Court in Luton, England.
Early life
Barbara was born in Ghana to Mr B.A Mensah a business magnate. Barbara lived in Ghana until she was six years when she moved to the United Kingdom. She was the first university graduate from her family.
Education
Barbara studied Philosophy at the University of Wales in Swansea before training to be a barrister. She is also an alumna of City University London and Queen Mary University London, both in London.
Career
Early on in her career she took up private sector work and then moved on to sit on a Financial Services Tribunal. She thereafter became interested in judicial work and got called to the Lincoln’s Inn bar in 1984. Barbara was appointed a recorder in 2003 at the same court. She was called to the South Eastern Circuit in 2005 and is currently (2016) circuit judge at the Luton Crown Court, making her the first woman of African descent to attain that position. She was awarded a juris Doctor degree in 2015 by City, University of London in acknowledgement her contribution to the law profession.
Barbara 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”.
Publications
- Mensah, Barbara (2012). European Human Rights Case Summaries. Routledge. p. 1220. ISBN 1135339309.