use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality =

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, other_names = , citizenship = , education =

Kingston University Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded ...

LLB A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

, alma_mater = , occupation =

Barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

, years_active = 1988– , era = , employer = , organization = Garden Court Chambers,

Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is located in Holborn and is the List of city squares by size, largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a ...

, agent = , known_for = Human rights lawyer and civil liberties campaigner , notable_works = , style = , height = , television = , title = , term = , predecessor = , party = , movement = , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charge = , criminal_penalty = , criminal_status = , spouse = , partner = , children = , parents = , mother = , father = , relatives = , family = , callsign = , awards = , website = https://www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk/barristers/leslie-thomas-qc/sao , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Leslie Thomas KC (born 29 April 1965) is a British

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and law professor. He has acted on a number of high-profile death cases and inquests, and is noted as a "star individual" for Police Law (Claimant) work in Chambers and Partners with specialist expertise in cases of

death in custody A death in custody is a death of a person in the custody of the police or other authorities or while in prison. In the 21st century, death in custody remains a controversial subject, with the authorities often being accused of abuse, neglect and ...

and death at the hands of the police.

Education

Thomas was born and grew up in London, and attended an Inner London comprehensive school. He has described having had to re-take his

A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

examinations while at school. On completing his schooling, he attended

Kingston Polytechnic Kingston University London is a public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded in 1899. It received university ...

from 1983 to 1987. In 2013, he received an honorary doctorate from Kingston.

Career

Thomas initially lectured at the

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

, Kingston University, and the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

until he was called to the bar in 1988 following completion of his LLB. He began his career as a pupil in the then 13 King's Bench Walk. Following this, he joined the now dissolved Wellington Street Chambers, led by Lord Gifford QC. Thomas currently practises from Garden Court Chambers. He first set precedent in the UK when he secured first unlawful killing decision against a serving police officer in the Azelle Rodney public shooting enquiry in 2013. In 2014, he represented 11 families who lost relatives in the

Hillsborough disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal crowd crush at a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the tw ...

. In 2015, he was the counsel for the parents of Christianne and Robert Shepherd who died of

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

while on holiday in Corfu in October 2006. The same year, he represented the family of Eleanor De Freitas at the inquest into her death. He was lead counsel to the family of Mark Duggan at the 2016 inquest into Duggan's death. In 2019 he was instructed by Hudgell Solicitors on behalf of the family of the late AM

Carl Sargeant Carl Sargeant (27 July 1968 – 7 November 2017) was a Welsh politician who was the Cabinet secretaries and ministers Secretary for Communities and Children in the Welsh Government. He represented the constituency of Alyn and Deeside in the ...

. The hearing centred around controversial decisions taken by former

First Minister of Wales The first minister of Wales () is the leader of the Welsh Government and keeper of the Welsh Seal. The first minister chairs the Welsh Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Welsh Government po ...

Carwyn Jones Carwyn Howell Jones, Baron Jones of Penybont, (born 21 March 1967), is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. He previously served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 20 ...

prior to Mr Sargeant's suicide. Thomas successfully prevented Cathryn McGahey QC (representing Jones) from introducing unproven allegations of misconduct against Sargeant to the inquiry, insisting that the "deceased person is not here to defend themselves" and that "there has been no investigation into these rumours and suspicion". In siding with Thomas, coroner, John Gittins, ruled that the effort by McGahey on behalf of Carwyn Jones was "astounding" and "opportunistic". He is an advocacy trainer for the Inner Temple, former director of both

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

and the Civil Liberties Trust, and an independent member on the Standards Committee for public life for Lewisham Council. He is also 3rd edition co-author of the practitioners' guide, ''Inquest''. In 2020, he was appointed

Gresham Professor of Law The Professor of Law at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1597, when it created seven professorships; this was later increased to ten. Law is one of the orig ...

. In 2023 Thomas appeared on behalf of the Federation of Ethnic Minority Healthcare Organisations (FEMHO) at The UK Covid-19 Inquiry, which was set up to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Personal life

Thomas is described as having an interest in motorcycles, and knowledge of the tenor saxophone. He is also competent in both Russian and French. He has previously called for wigs worn as part of

court dress Court dress comprises the style of clothes and other attire prescribed for members of court, courts of law. Depending on the country and jurisdiction's traditions, members of the court (judges, magistrates, and so on) may wear formal robes, g ...

to be banned on racial exclusion grounds.

Honours

*2012: Legal Aid Practitioners Group - Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year *2013: Awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law from Kingston University for services for civil rights *2014: Queen's Counsel *2014: ''

The Lawyer ''The Lawyer'' is a legal business information product for law firm leaders, commercial lawyers, barristers A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advoc ...

'' - Hot Lawyers of 2014 List *2016: Legal Aid Practitioners Group - Legal Aid Lawyers Award *2017: The UK Diversity Legal Awards - Lifetime Achievement Award

Publications

*''Inquests: A practitioner's guide''. Legal Action. Three editions. (co-author)

References

External links

Justice.org.ukGarden Court Chambers - Leslie Thomas QC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Leslie British barristers Alumni of Kingston University Black British lawyers 21st-century Black British people 21st-century British lawyers 1965 births Living people