Jo Sidhu

British criminal law barrister and King's Counsel

Navjot Sidhu

Navjot Sidhu

Navjot Sidhu KC speaking at an event in parliament 2018

Born|

London, England

Nationality| British
Alma mater| London School of Economics
University of Oxford
Occupation| Barrister
Years active| 1993–present

Navjot Sidhu KC (Punjabi: ਜੋ ਸਿਧੁ) (born in 1966 in Southall, London) is a British criminal law barrister and King's Counsel.

## Career

[edit]

Sidhu has worked as a criminal law barrister since 1993.[1]

He is chairman of the Criminal Bar Association.

He was the chairperson for the Society of Asian lawyers, the biggest BAME lawyers’ society in the UK representing over 3,000 members[2] and since 2001 he has been the Vice chair of the Equality & Diversity Committee of the Bar Council.[3]

In 2012 Sidhu was appointed Queen's Counsel a rank awarded to about 8% of practising barristers.[4] He is one of about 100 BAME QCs in Britain of whom few have Punjabi origin.[5]

Like other successful criminal practitioners, Sidhu specialises in serious crime, typically terrorism, homicides and conspiracies involving frauds, robberies and drug trafficking.[6] He was a target of death threats and online harassment lasting 12 months in 2015. After police were unable to provide assistance due to a lack of resources, Sidhu hired a forensic computer expert to track the cyber-criminal behind the smear campaign, who was then jailed for five years.[7]

Sidhu has said that the government must do more to tackle cyber threats of this nature.[8][9]

Sidhu relinquished his practicing certificate and is no longer a practicing barrister in the United Kingdom.[10]

## Awards and recognition

[edit]

In 2016, Sidhu was awarded the UK's Asian Professional of the Year Award 2016.[11]

1. ^ "Jo Sidhu QC | Counsel for Leadership". www.counselforleadership.com. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
2. ^ "British Punjabis 9th August 2014 (p. 13)". British Punjabi Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
3. ^ "The Legal 500 > 25 Bedford Row (Chambers of Paul Mendelle QC, George Carter-Stephenson QC and Je) > London, ENGLAND > Lawyer profiles > Jo Sidhu QC". www.legal500.com. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
4. ^ Gates, James (12 March 2012). "Ealing barrister attains highest of legal honours". getwestlondon. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
5. ^ "Queen's Counsel statistics - Bar Standards Board". www.barstandardsboard.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
6. ^ "Fraudster jailed for stalking barrister". Kent Online. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
7. ^ "Barrister hit with death threats in revenge for his war on corruption". Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
8. ^ "This is why the government must do more to tackle cyber threats". Metro. 2 January 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
9. ^ "Law should protect, not curtail, freedom of speech". Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
10. ^ https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/criminal-bar-firebrand-sidhu-stops-practising/5120277.article
11. ^ ABPL. "2016". www.abplgroup.com. Retrieved 24 June 2018.