Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1975 and was elected a Master of the Bench in 2003. Wendy has invested her time to support various aspects of the Inn’s Education programme, from mentoring students, marshalling (hosting students during court trials), through to supporting advocacy training and delivering Mixed Messes talks. She played a vital role representing the students’ interests as the Inn’s Master of Students.
Wendy practised at the criminal Bar for over 30 years, becoming a Circuit judge in 2007 and sitting on criminal trials until 2022. She was the third woman to hold a permanent position at the Old Bailey.
“Arriving in London to study for the Bar Finals, I knew almost no one, and found myself very alone in a strange place. Almost immediately Gray’s provided me with a ready-made family … sibling students reading for the Bar with me, mentor barristers to whom I could turn for advice, and always a group of friendly faces. It was to the Inn that we all gravitated at lunch times and when the days academic work was done. My fondest memory is of the then-resident chef Paul, who made sure we were properly fed, even when – towards the end of term – our pockets were almost empty. When I was asked for a memory, it was Paul’s polish sausages that came to mind.”
- Extended Bio
Wendy was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1995 and took Silk in 1998. She became a Recorder in 1999, a President of the Mental Health Review Tribunal in 2001 and a Circuit judge in 2007.
She was appointed a Senior Circuit judge and Diversity and Community Relations judge in 2012, working to promote understanding between the judiciary and the community, particularly within minority and less privileged groups. From 2012 until 2022 she was a judge at the Old Bailey, sitting on criminal cases.
She is the author of two bestselling non-fiction books, Unlawful Killings and Rough Justice, which draw on her experiences as a criminal judge. Both copies are available to read in our Library as part of the Inn’s Griffin lending collection.