Race, Colonialism and Power in the Legal System
Lecture Series – Professor Leslie Thomas QC
Historically, law has been designed to serve the interests of the powerful and privileged. At its worst, the legal system can be a cynical facade for violent repression. But law can also be a vital tool in the hands of the oppressed, and a means of fighting back.
This lecture series will explore the dynamics of race, class and power in the legal systems of the UK and the Commonwealth Caribbean, how those systems have been shaped by the legacy of colonialism, and how the legal system plays a dual role as an instrument of oppression and as a means for the oppressed to defend themselves.
Judges, who are typically drawn from privileged backgrounds, wield vast power over the lives of the most marginalised people in society.
This lecture will explore the role of judicial racism in perpetuating injustice and inequality in the legal system. The Lammy Review found gross disparities sentencing for Black and white defendants – while also finding no systematic racial bias in juries’ decisions to convict or acquit. What should we do about racism in the judiciary and the legal profession?
In person attendance is now sold out
Online lecture attendance is available upon registering
Date
- 07 Dec 2021
- Expired!
Time
- 6:00 am - 7:00 pm
Local Time
- Timezone: America/New_York
- Date: 07 Dec 2021
- Time: 1:00 am - 2:00 pm
More Info
Location
Organizer
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Gresham College
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Phone
+44 (0)20 7831 0575 -
Email
enquiries@gresham.ac.uk -
Website
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/
Speaker
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Professor Leslie Thomas QCBarrister, Garden Court Chambers, London, UKProfessor Leslie Thomas QC was appointed Gresham Professor of Law in 2020.
He is one of the top rated silks in the country, ranked leading individual by both Chambers and the Legal 500 (2020). He has been a QC since 2014. He was educated at a South London comprehensive and studied law at Kingston University.
Professor Thomas is a leading expert in claims against the police and other public authorities, and claims against corporate bodies, with expertise across the full spectrum of civil wrongs, civil litigation, human rights, data and privacy claims. He is an expert in all aspects of inquests and public inquiries, having represented many bereaved families, in particular where there has been abuse of state or corporate power.
As well as winning cases, Thomas has won a string of awards for his work and has been called to the Bar in several other international legal jurisdictions.
Until 31 January 2020, Professor Thomas served as a joint Heads of Chambers at Garden Court Chambers. He is a Bencher to the Inner Temple, where he is also Deputy Master for inclusivity and diversity. He is on the Bar Standards Board, the bar’s regulatory body. He has also served on the management committee of Liberty and the Central London Law Centre. He is also Visiting Professor of Law at Goldsmiths University of London
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