Show 20: the barrister and judge on the follow-up to Ugly; Beyond Ugly.
Constance Briscoe is one of Britain's first black female judges. She is a barrister who also serves as a part-time judge or recorder. Born to two Jamaicans who settled in Britain in the 1950s, she was one of six children. Her first book, the best-selling Ugly, is her memoir of her unhappy childhood.
She was called to the bar in 1983, and in 1996, she became a part time judge - one of the first black women to sit as a judge in the UK. She lives in Clapham with her two children, Martin and Francesca. Her partner is Tony Arlidge QC. Constance Briscoe’s practice focuses on criminal law and fraud, principally defending. She also undertakes tribunal work, public inquiries, inquests and acts as President of Mental Health Tribunals.
Ugly, her first book is her story of overcoming a terrible start in life, and reached number one in the UK bestseller lists. Beyond Ugly came out in Jan 2008 and moves on to describe how she began her career in law. A follow-up book, Beyond Ugly, detailing her career in the law, is out now.
Ugly
Constance's mother systematically abused her daughter, both physically and emotionally, throughout her childhood. Regularly beaten and starved, the girl was so desperate she took herself off to Social Services and tried to get taken into care. When that failed, she swallowed bleach 'because it kills all known germs and my mother always told me I was a germ'. When Constance was thirteen, her mother simply moved out, leaving her daughter to fend for herself: there was no gas, no electricity and no food. But somehow Constance found the courage to survive her terrible start in life. This is her moving, and ultimately triumphant story.
Beyond Ugly
Despite her mother's constant physical and psychological abuse, Constance Briscoe has gained a place at Newcastle University to study law: a long-held ambition. She finances her studies by several jobs at weekends and during the holidays, including working with the terminally ill in a hospice. She also finds the money to pay for several cosmetic surgery treatments in an attempt to transform the face that her mother has convinced her is ugly. With the degree achieved, Constance takes up Michael Mansfield's invitation to become a pupil in his prestigious chambers. But she didn't find the support and encouragement she expected.