Anuja Dhir

Anuja Ravindra Dhir, Lady Lavender KC (born 19 January 1968, Dundee, Scotland), is a British circuit judge. She was the first non-white judge to be appointed to sit full-time at the Old Bailey.

Early life
Born at Dundee in 1968 of Indian heritage, Dhir was educated at Harris Academy before reading Law at Dundee University, graduating as LLB in 1988. A Gray's Inn Scholar, she was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1989.

In 2018, Dhir received an honorary doctorate (Hon LLD) from Dundee University.

Career
Dhir practised as a barrister for 23 years, as counsel for both prosecution and defence for serious criminal cases as well as those involving national security and human rights.

Previously a member of various Bar Council Committees including the Equality Committee, the Professional Conduct Committee and Law Reform Committee, Dhir has been heavily involved in advocacy training in the UK and abroad: she was head of teacher training for Gray's Inn and has led training in India, Sri Lanka, Jamaica (death row cases), Bermuda, Bhutan, Malaysia, Singapore (for the AG), Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Elected a Bencher of Gray's Inn in 2009, she took silk and was appointed Recorder in 2010, before promotion as a Circuit Judge in 2012. In February 2017, at the age of 49, Dhir became a Judge at the Old Bailey. Since 2015, she has been a tutor judge at the Judicial College. In November 2018 she made the headlines after sentencing an 18 year-old youth, who had threatened a motorist with a knife, already with a previous conviction for robbery with a knife, to a suspended sentence of imprisonment.

in 2018, Dhir was authorised to sit as a Judge in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division as well as being appointed to the Judicial Appointments Commission as a Judicial Commissioner.

A Governor of the Hackney City Academy School since 2016, she also serves as a Court Assistant of the Haberdashers' Company.

Personal life
Married since 2002 to Mr Justice Lavender KC, she and Sir Nicholas have two sons and a daughter.