Introduction

About

Tinessa Kaur is an award-winning barrister with a growing practice in criminal and public children's law. In 2024, she became the first Sikh female barrister to receive the Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year Award from Advocate. Her extraordinary journey to the Bar was featured by BBC News, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and BBC Radio London, following recognition for this award. She was also profiled in the October 2024 edition of Counsel Magazine, celebrating her award and commitment to pro bono work.

Practice Areas

Tinessa accepts instructions across the full spectrum of criminal law and public children's law. Her experience includes:

• Serious and general criminal offences

• Youth justice

• Breach of probation trials

• Care proceedings and deprivation of liberty applications

Tinessa acts for both the prosecution and defence, and regularly appears in the Magistrates', Youth, and Crown Courts. She has also represented Local Authorities, including the London Borough of Hackney and Essex Legal Services.

Experience

Tinessa, a fearless advocate, is renowned for her compassion, meticulous preparation, and exceptional client care skills. Her innovative problem-solving and commitment to keeping clients well-informed have consistently led to the best outcomes, earning her high praise from those seeking her counsel.

Widely acknowledged for her ability to adapt and provide tailored advice especially to vulnerable clients including children and young people. Tinessa is often trusted with society's most vulnerable cases, showcasing her versatility and dedication.

Driven by her experiences and community involvement with young people, Tinessa has built a robust Youth Court practice. She has experience defending and prosecuting in the Crown Court and defends in Magistrates and Youth Courts. Her commitment to pro bono work ensures justice is accessible to all.

Experience Prior to the Bar

Prior to coming to the Bar, Tinessa worked as an In-House Advocate Lawyer with the London Borough of Hackney, where she handled cases involving Care Proceedings, Deprivation of Liberty, and Criminal Disclosure matters affecting young people in care. This role provided her with valuable insight into public law and youth justice, which continues to inform her practice today.

She also gained invaluable experience in high-profile financial crime matters, including the LIBOR scandal, while working as a Paralegal with the Financial Conduct Authority and the Serious Fraud Office. She further honed her criminal law skills by volunteering as a Criminal Paralegal for THB Legal and ABV Solicitors.

In 2019, she was contracted to assist the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, contributing to one of the most significant public inquiries in recent history.

Probono & Outreach

Tinessa is committed to widening access to the legal profession and ensuring justice is available to all. She co-founded the Sikh Lawyers Association in 2020 and launched the ‘CUT IT OUT Project’ in 2021, an anti-gang initiative aimed at supporting young people.

She regularly delivers outreach workshops, mock trials, and mentoring programmes in schools and community settings.

Memberships

• Criminal Bar Association

• South Eastern Circuit

• Women in Criminal Law

• The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn

• Sikh Lawyers Association – Co-Founder

Appointments

• CPS Advocates Panel – Level 1. 

Awards & Prizes

2025:

• Pro bono Recognition List of England & Wales 2025

2024:

• Young Pro-Bono Barrister of the Year, Advocate Bar Pro-Bono Awards 2024 – [Winner]

2023:

• Entrepreneur of the Year 2023, the British Sikh Awards 2023 – [Winner]

2022:

• Young Pro-bono Barrister of the Year, Advocate Bar Pro-Bono Awards 2022 – Finalist [1 of 5]

• Rising Star in Law – Asian Legal Awards 2022 – Special Mention and Offer of Mentorship by HHJ Sapnara Khatun and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb – [Special Mention]

• Achievements in Law and Legal Support in the Community, the National Sikh Sports and Community Awards 2022 – [Winner]

• Rising Star in Law Award, the British Sikh Awards 2022 – [Highly Commended Winner]

Media

• 1^st Sikh Woman to Win Award – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c7221v5zp3no. 

Publications

• Counsel Magazine – October 2024 Edition, Legal Personality [Bar Pro Bono Awards 2024: Winner’s Stories.

• Ealing Living Magazine – September Edition, Journey to the Bar.

• Book – Pupillage Applications: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. 

Education and Training

Training

Tinessa has completed the following Training courses:

• ICCA Advocacy for Children in Conflict with the Law

• YJLC Representing Child Clients

• YJLC Practical Skills for Lawyers Representing Child Clients

Testimonials

• "It was a pleasure to work with someone with such a “can do” attitude" – John Navas, Senior Crown Prosecutor, CPS South East. 

• "She has always approached each case with thorough preparation, sound judgment, and unwavering professionalism. Her advocacy is calm, focused, and persuasive, and she has gained the trust and confidence of my clients through her approachable manner and clear communication. My clients have consistently responded positively to working with her, and I know they have appreciated her respectful and down-to-earth approach" - Junaid Khan,  Consultant Solicitor Advocate, SVS Solicitors. 

• "I have had the opportunity to get to know Ms Kaur as Counsel in conduct of various cases in her capacity as Criminal Defence Counsel and Appeal Counsel, I have been pleasantly impressed with her attitude to her work, mutual clients and my staff [solicitors and non-solicitors]. This attitude has made all the difference in the way we progress cases forward. Ms Kaur has shown resilience and steadiness in dealing with very demanding clients. She is thorough and firm in her approach and confident in her delivery in any given venue. She has strong advoacy skills, the ability to think critically under pressure, instant analytical ablities, a useful problem-sloving approach. Ms Kaur has excellent work ethic, integrity and professionalism" - Narvada Choolun-Boodhoo, Managing Director, Magna Thames Solicitors. 

• "Tinessa is an extremely thorough Barrister, who takes on a case and leaves no stone unturned. She represents each and every client to the best of her ability and goes above and beyond to make sure that her clients' best interest is catered for. Tinessa's confidence and experience are exerted throughout the conduct of her cases. Her experience ensures that she sees a case from many different perspectives often anticipating any issues that may arise and ensuring that a client is thoroughly informed of likely outcomes and is prepared" - Juliana Gamito, Paralegal, Magna Thames Solicitors. 

• "Ms Kaur has been extremely thorough in her work. In addition, she endeavours to keep me updated while at Court, as well as providing any attendance note in a timely manner, following hearings. Ms Kaur will take as much time as is necessary, in order to obtain the best outcome possible, this is demonstrated by the results she has secured. Further, clients have had positive feedback, in that she is friendly and approachable, and they are happy with her approach to their case. She is very easy to communicate and work with"- Suzanna Macauley, Associate Solicitor, Macauley Smith Ltd. 

Notable Cases

Crown Court:

• R v YS – Reading Crown Court – secured a conviction in a five-day trial for Fraud by False Representation. The defendant, a live-in carer during the pandemic, exploited an 84-year-old complainant with dementia. Tinessa’s tactical cross-examination led to key admissions in evidence, resulting in a unanimous guilty verdict.

• R v AS – Croydon Crown Court – Represented a defendant charged with importing 11.5kg of cocaine from Trinidad. Despite a sentencing guideline range of 9–12 years, Tinessa’s persuasive submissions and detailed sentencing note led the judge to depart from the guidelines, imposing a sentence of 8 years and 1 month.

• R v JR – Cambridge Crown Court – Acted for the defendant at sentencing for two counts of Possession with Intent to Supply Class A drugs. Tinessa prepared a detailed sentencing note and delivered precise, persuasive advocacy, securing a two-year suspended sentence for her client.

• R v DMW – Lewes Crown Court – Secured a 10-year non-conviction Restraining Order for a vulnerable complainant and her children, successfully opposing the defendant’s challenge following his acquittal.

• R v NB – Isleworth Crown Court – successfully represented a vulnerable client charged with Possessing an Imitation Firearm in a Public Place. On Tinessa’ s advice, a psychiatric report was obtained. This identified that NB had significant and complex mental health issues, including a childlike demeanour. Subsequently, Tinessa drafted written representations to the CPS, emphasising the evidential weaknesses and arguing that proceeding with the case would not serve the public interest given the client’s intricate mental health challenges. The CPS offered no evidence in return for a £100 bind over. Tinessa successfully persuaded the Court to impose a financial penalty to commensurate with NB’s means, resulting in a £50 bind over instead.

• R v AW – Lewes Crown Court – secured a conviction in a contested drink driving appeal. Tinessa’s cross-examination of the defence expert confirmed the defendant was over the limit at the time of the collision. Her strategic questioning also exposed significant inconsistencies in the defendant’s account.

• R v DS – Harrow Crown Court –  represented a defendant at sentencing for Possession with Intent to Supply Class A and B drugs and driving offences. Despite a starting point of 4 years 6 months, Tinessa secured a 12-month suspended sentence with a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement. Tinessa effectively mitigated to reduce the starting point.

Youth Court:

• R v ML – Bromley Youth Court – effectively defended a vulnerable 13-year-old ML at trial for Threatening with a Bladed Article. She successfully applied to exclude the Crown’s key video evidence and argued the Crown failed in its disclosure obligations. Consequently, the Crown was forced to offer no evidence. ML maintains an unblemished record and good character.

• R v IAC – Croydon Youth Court – represented a youth at sentencing for three robberies, drug possession, and breaches of court orders. Despite the custody threshold being met, Tinessa secured a 12-month YRO with ISS by highlighting procedural delays and the client’s rehabilitative progress.

Magistrates Court

• R v OO – Basildon Magistrates Court – successful application highlighting the disclosure failings by the Crown. The Crown sought to rely on the SFR/1 Report showing OO was under the influence of drugs over the specified limit. No SFR/2 report had been served.  Tinessa referred the Court to Hunt v CPS [2018] EWHC 3341 [ADMIN] which made clear that SFR/1 is not admissible evidence as it does not comply with CPR 19.1 of an expert report. Subsequently the Crown ONE.

• R v DCW – St. Albans Magistrates Court – successfully obtained bail for a highly vulnerable client, DCW, where the CPS previously submitted that no suitable conditions could be imposed. Tinessa’ s representations to the CPS representative in Court and the condition proposed were not just suitable and appropriate, but also crucial for the circumstances of a highly vulnerable client.

• R v DCW – St Albans Magistrates Court –  defended a vulnerable client at sentencing for 15 counts of Assaulting an Emergency Worker. Tinessa’s robust mitigation, supported by psychiatric evidence, led to a 12-month Community Order with 30 RAR days, despite the seriousness of the offences.

   

Languages

• Punjabi [Fluent]

• Hindi