South African Jewish Museum archives a greatly fascinating collection about advocate Sir Sydney Kentridge. The collection includes a newspaper article from December 1999 about Sir Kentridge’s knighting by Queen Elizabeth. There is a photograph of Sir Kentridge with wearing his insignia. The collection also includes an editorial from the British magazine Legal Business which profiles the ten leading Queen’s Chambers (QCs) as selected by more than 100 litigators in London.
The newspaper article titled “Brilliant Kentridge upheld law’s moral thread in apartheid era” by Jeremy Gordin and Stanley Uys appeared in The Sunday Independent in December 1999. The article discusses Sydney Kentridge’s soon-to-be knighting by Queen Elizabeth. It also provides the background to Kentridge, regarding his representing the Rand Daily Mail in the 1969 prisons case and as the advocate against the security police at the 1977 inquest into the death of black consciousness leader Steve Biko.
Several high-profile lawyers provide rich praise for Kentridge in the article. Nelson Mandela adds his voice to the celebrations of Kentridge’s knighting. Kentridge was a member of the defence team during Mandela’s 1956 treason trial.
A photograph of Sir Sydney Kentridge in this collection shows him wearing the insignia of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George in London in May 2000.
An editorial from the British magazine Legal Business profiles the ten leading Queen’s Chambers (QCs) as selected by more than 100 litigators in London. Kentridge got a perfect scoring of five “wigs” and led the selection. There is much praise for Kentridge in his profile. He is described as “the most admired man at the commercial Bar, particularly for his courtroom skills.” His audience shows him deep respect, describing him as “the best advocate in the English speaking world,” and, “Brilliant, excellent, analytical mind. All round the best.”
This collection is greatly fascinating for its history of Sir Sydney Kentridge. The praise shown to him by his peers is all but recognised by Queen Elizabeth who appointed him Queen’s Chamber and then knighted him.
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