Former international student pays tribute to Chambers as he is appointed Silk in South Africa

July 22, 2020
At the age of 27 years, Sandile Khumalo came to London to conduct work experience at Red Lion Chambers. Dame Linda Dobbs, a RLC member had been delivering a lecture in South Africa in 2005 and mentioned the 3 month international programme that Red Lion were promoting to encourage overseas students to come and experience life at the Bar in the UK.

In 2006, Sandile arrived in London. With no contacts in Law and the first in his family to go to University, Sandile relished the experience of being in the UK, able to watch barristers ‘on their feet’, prosecuting and defending criminal cases and shadowing their daily lives. He was also able to spend time watching various Judges in London courts including the Old Bailey.

In this conversation with RLC member Alistair Fell, Sandile recalls his experiences, including learning from counsel such as Max Hill QC (former HoC and now Director of Public Prosecutions) who had just been instructed in the high profile killing of Nigerian 10 year old Damilola Taylor. Now 42, married with 2 children, Sandile Khumalo has been appointed Silk in South Africa where he is a specialist advocate in financial services law specialising in pensions, insurance and medical schemes. He pays tribute to Red Lion Chambers and also talks to Alistair about the effects of Covid19 in South Africa and the Bar and the reaction to the Black Lives Matter Movement.

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