How One Oxford Lie Cost This Indian-Origin Lawyer's UK Career: Here's What You Need To Know

An Indian-origin lawyer who was found to have misled a UK barrister's chamber by falsely claiming to have studied medicine at the University of Oxford has been disbarred for professional misconduct by an independent tribunal. Anurag Mohindru, 50, was charged by the Bar Standards Board with engaging in dishonest and/or discreditable conduct which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence in the legal profession.

The watchdog told an independent disciplinary tribunal at a hearing last week that he had brought the legal profession into disrepute in an application for tenancy at 23 Essex Street chambers back in November 2012. “In the CV he asserted he had studied biomedical science/medicine at Oxford University when he had not,” the board said in a statement this week.

“The tribunal found this behaviour was a serious breach of the standards expected of members of the Bar. Having found Mr M to have been dishonest, the panel decided that the appropriate sanction was to order his disbarment. He has been immediately suspended pending any appeal,” it noted. The tribunal concluded that Mohindru had acted dishonestly by providing false information on his curriculum vitae (CV) during the course of his application to the Essex Street Chambers and also ordered him to cover the legal costs of 54,780 pounds.

“The public and profession should expect barristers to be honest when applying for positions within a chambers,” a Bar Standards Board spokesperson said.
“Dishonesty such as this undermines the trust and confidence that the public places in barristers and in the profession as a whole. The tribunal's decision to disbar Mr Mohindru reflects the seriousness of this misconduct and the importance of maintaining the integrity of the Bar,” the spokesperson said.

Mohindru, who holds the title of King's Council (KC) as a senior legal professional, was called to the Bar of England and Wales by London's Middle Temple Inn in 2004. He had denied knowingly misleading the chambers, and his suspension is open to an appeal. Meanwhile, he has also stepped down as chairman of the Essex County Cricket Club this week following the tribunal's findings.

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“Essex County Cricket Club can confirm that Club Chair Anu Mohindru has stood down as a Board Member with immediate effect. He informed the Board of his decision at a meeting on Sunday,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday. “Following the meeting, the Board has decided that Jason Gallian will act as Interim Chair whilst Vicky Ford will assume the position of Interim Deputy Chair.

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Essex County Cricket Club would like to place on record its thanks to Anu for his leadership and significant contribution during his time as Chair of the Club,” it added. Mohindru, who studied law in the UK, represented several high-profile cases including one involving England cricketer Ben Stokes after a nightclub brawl in 2018.