Who Is Tinessa Kaur? Sikh UK Lawyer Becomes 1st To Win Barrister Award

Tinessa Kaur became the first Sikh woman lawyer to win the United Kingdom's Young Pro-Bono Barrister of the Year Award on June 10. The 32-year-old is the founder of the Sikh Lawyers Association in the UK. She is also the Director of her firm Kaurs Legal UK and an anti-gang violence project called CUT IT OUT. After coming to Greenford, west London, from Leicester at the age of 17, Kaur approached a Sikh support network to get off the streets and into the classroom.

First Sikh Woman To Win Barrister Of Year Award

Tinessa Kaur comes from a difficult background. According to her X (Twitter) profile, her father left her family in 2002. Later, during her General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSEs) in 2007, she witnessed her father being sent to jail. Then, as a teenager, Kaur was left homeless during her Advanced level qualifications.

"For me, that's when my faith really played a big part because I did not have any food and the only time I could get something to eat was at the Gurudwara," Kaur explained in an interview with BBC. Instead of losing hope, she sought the support of a Sikh network group in Greenford and started working different jobs to enhance her skills.

2002: father left
2007: father went to prison (GCSEs)
2009/10: Homeless exposed to gangs/streets (A-Levels)
2010: law at uni
2013: 🎓 with 2.1
2013/14: studied the Bar
2019: Called to Bar
2023: Secured Pupillage 32YO.

Greatest part, I was authentic throughout
#pupillage pic.twitter.com/4qO96t3Hj0

— Tinessa Kaur (Tish) (@SherniBarrister) September 29, 2023

With this, she was able to study law at the University of Law, London. In 2013, after her graduation, Kaur went on to study for the Bar exam. Kaur was qualified for the Bar in 2019 and secured Pupillage four years later. She also set up an initiative called the Sikh Lawyers Association to create a presence for her community in law.

Kaur told BBC, "We try and do whatever we can to help not only the next generation but the upcoming generations. Through this, we are also able to help members of the community in cases they need assistance with. I know what it is like to be at your lowest point and if I've got a certain skillset through which I can help people then I will."

The Pupillage Barrister expressed, "When I walk into chambers, I think 'Wow! I'm here as a Sikh woman!' and it makes me feel proud. If people like me don't come along and try to show people that 'Yes, I am an ethnic woman and I can break the barriers and this is the work that I do' then I can pave the way for others."