Esther Bukoye

Year of call:

2020

Appointments:

Grade 2 prosecutor

Awards:

2017 - Awarded a Pro-Bono Award for contributions to the statelessness Project at Liverpool Law Clinic

2017 - 1st Place winner in BPP's Advocate of the Year Competition for the North West and ranked 8th nationally

2019 - Awarded a medal by the Chancellor of the University of Liverpool for contributions made to the student community

2019 - BPP Career Commitment Scholarship

2020 - Finalist in BPP Leeds internal mooting competition

Esther accepts instructions in Crime doing both defence and prosecution work.

Esther has received positive feedback for her work on cases, in addition to securing favourable outcomes for both the Crown and Instructing Solicitors, she is known for her ability to quickly build a rapport with her lay clients, her professionalism and her empathetic attitude when dealing with cases of a sensitive nature.

As a Grade 2 Prosecutor, Esther has developed a thorough understanding of a range of legal defences, and has used the surrounding caselaw to successfully disprove defences such as self-defence and duress of circumstances when prosecuting.

Esther has been able to develop a keen eye for detail and attain an understanding of rules of evidence such as, bad character, hearsay, disclosure and a wider understanding of complex legal arguments.

She has appeared in the Crown Court on behalf of the Crown in a range of trials and hearings involving fraud, domestic violence assaults, dangerous driving and more. Her wide experience has seen her secure convictions for the Crown in a range of offences including section 20 GBH, ABHs, stalking, and more.

When defending, Esther has demonstrated close analysis of the Crown’s evidence, and thorough cross-examination skills to reveal inconsistencies and undermine the Crown’s case. Her detailed case preparation has resulted in her successfully defending those accused of a range of offences including racially aggravated ABH, assault on emergency workers, and more.

Esther also has experience defending appeals in the Crown Court for drug possession offences and public order offences. Esther defends in the Youth Court and has recently defended a Youth for multiple offences of Possession With the Intention to Supply (PWITS).

She is known for her personable and precise plea in mitigations to humanise defendants and secure favourable outcomes in a range of offences including breaches of a restraining order. Esther has successfully secured a suspended sentence for a defendant who was in possession of a bladed article (a machete), as well as securing a financial penalty in a dangerous driving case where members of the public were injured.

Prior to the Bar, Esther was awarded with an Advocacy Scholarship as a result of winning BPP’s 2017 Regional Advocate of the Year Competition where she placed 1st regionally, and 8th nationally.

Esther was the Student Speaker at her LLB Law graduation where she wrote and delivered a speech to 1,700 graduands, their families, the Executive Pro-Vice Chancellor and academic staff from the law department. Esther was subsequently awarded a medal by the Chancellor of the University after advocating for the rights of over 26,000 students in her role as elected Vice President of the Student Union. Esther then went on to place as a finalist in BPP Leeds internal mooting competition and received further scholarships for the BPTC such as the Career Commitment Scholarship which is awarded to individuals who demonstrate an aptitude for a legal career, strong work ethic and more.

 

Contact Esther’s Clerks

Andrew Thornton on 0113 213 5202

Gina Hawkins on 0113 213 5205

Rebecca Wilson on 0113 213 5203

Hannah Dempsey on 0113 213 5211

Lucy Finney on 0113 213 5220