Social media: Complaints more than doubled
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) has referred a barrister to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) over her “hateful rhetoric towards Jews”.
The news comes as figures from the BSB showed complaints about the use of social media by barristers more than doubled to 279 in 2025-26.
Some 192 related to the Israel and Palestine conflict, more than the total for all social media reports in the previous year. A further 43 reports were about gender rights.
The CAA said that Usha Sood, head of Trent Chambers in Nottingham, had “a history of incendiary and hateful rhetoric towards Jews”. She describes herself on X as a “human rights barrister”.
Among her recent comments on X and LinkedIn were “Time really for all Jewish people to face Israel’s accountability for genocide in Gaza”, that Jewish people should “give up Israel and move back to their various adoptive countries” and that “Every Holocaust museum does indeed need to add an exhibit on Israel’s genocide in Gaza”.
The CAA said the latter breached the international definition of antisemitism by comparing contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
She has called for Jews to condemn Israel and “also expressed apparent criticism of Judaism as a religion”, the CAA said.
A spokesperson added: “Is this what passes as professional concern for human rights nowadays? Professionals in Britain believe that they can post this racist incitement because their regulators do nothing about it. We will test that again.
“We are submitting a complaint to the Bar Standards Board. Our lawyers are also examining potential further action.”
Ms Sood told Legal Futures that the CAA statement “characterises me as being racist and anti-Jewish without speaking to me or knowledge about my community-based and professional work, which spans more than five decades – and includes significant inter-faith work.
“The selective tweets in the release do not explore the context of my responses being within the Gaza and Israel situation.
“I am said to have ‘a history of incendiary and hateful rhetoric towards Jews’, which I deny. And over a long time, I have consistently called out extremism and unfair and discriminatory practices in all religious practices, including within my own religion.”
Recently retired barrister Barbara Rich commented on X: “Is this protected political speech which she is free to express, or discriminatory and susceptible to a professional conduct sanction?”
The BSB annual report for the year to 31 March 2026 said that in the face of more reports about barristers’ use of social media, it had changed its approach “to avoid the application of time and resource on matters in which individuals have no direct interest or standing.
“This has enabled us to direct our resources more effectively to the increasing number and complexity of reports.”
More generally, In line with other regulators, the BSB saw a sharp increase in reports of alleged misconduct, 29%, which director general Phil Golding said “has impacted our efficiency and timeliness targets”.
The regulator received 3,439 reports and general enquiries in the year, compared to 2,614 in 2024-25. Reports about conduct while acting in proceedings jumped from 651 to 1,047.
The BSB assessed 2,464 reports, a 31% more than the year before, but the number of investigations that followed only rose from 94 to 114.
Just over half of investigations led to referrals for disciplinary action; nearly a quarter of those closed after investigation resulted in administrative sanctions.
Most cases heard by Bar disciplinary tribunal, 23 out of 28, were found proved. There were nine disbarments, five suspensions, seven fines and four reprimands – each case may result in more than one sanction.
The BSB said complaints about bullying and harassment rose slightly in 2025-26, from 53 to 58, although the number of investigations almost doubled to 21.
“Two barristers were sanctioned as a result of enforcement action in bullying and harassment cases and supervision worked with six chambers to improve policies and processes.”
In his foreword to the report, BSB chair Professor Chris Bones said it came “at a time where the organisation is facing the challenge of stabilising, strengthening and improving performance across our frontline services.
“The board is focused on establishing operational excellence and creating a regulatory system that operates effectively with the aim of reducing significantly the unit cost of our operational work in the coming years. We are clear in our goal: to regulate less, better.
“The data here shows that we are changing and improving but there is more work to do.”