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California Judges Association (CJA) is honored to be able to interview Judge Anisa Dhanji of the United Kingdom. Judge Dhanji is very involved in the evacuation and support of Afghan women Judges who are to flee their country, in fear of their and their families’ lives. Judge Dhanji has a long and illustrious career. She holds an LL.B from the University of British Columbia, an LL.M from the London School of Economics, as well as a Certificate in Human Rights Law from the London School of Economics. She was appointed as a Judge in 2000 to hear asylum, human rights and immigration cases. In 2005, she was appointed to the General Regulatory Chamber to hear information rights cases, and in the same year, she was also appointed as a Recorder to hear criminal cases in the Crown Court. She has allocated her time between these three judicial roles. She has undertaken both legal and nonlegal projects on a voluntary basis in Pakistan, and Tajikistan, on issues relating to women and children, in particular. She was born in Kenya and lived there, and subsequently in Canada, before moving to the UK some 30 years ago. (International Association of Women Judges biography).
SCHMANN: Judge Dhanji, thank you very much for sharing your time with the California Judges Association. Could you tell us about your background? DHANJI: It is perhaps an unusual background for someone holding judicial office here. I qualified initially in British Columbia, Canada, as a
barrister & solicitor. I later came to the UK to undertake an LL.M in intellectual property and stayed on, requalifying as a solicitor. I practised for a few years with a large London law firm, and later was GC for Pepe Jeans/ Tommy Hilfiger, before joining a European online auction company – long before eBay became a household
