Jyoti Wood

Jyoti has experience in all areas of criminal law. Jyoti frequently acts on behalf of clients charged with violent, sexual and financial offences and has most recently secured acquittals on charges of GBH, sexual assault, class A drug supply and burglary. Jyoti has an established reputation as a strong and effective trial advocate, with exceptional client care skills.

Recent cases include;

R v P – Jyoti represented a client charged with class A drugs supply after being arrested during a raid on a property where heroin and crack cocaine were being divided and packaged for sale. Following legal argument the Judge dismissed the case against the Defendant before plea

R v N – Jyoti represented a Defendant charged with drug supply and won in the Court of Appeal resulting in a significant reduction to the Defendant’s sentence

R v E – Jyoti was junior counsel in a murder trial where she uncovered crucial evidence, later deployed at the trial, which indicated that the murder was committed by more than one person, undermining the prosecution case against the Defendant.

R v G – the Defendant was charged with 2 counts of ABH and 2 counts non-fatal strangulation of his former partner. Following written legal arguments on admissibility, hearsay and non-defendant bad character the prosecution dropped both counts of non-fatal strangulation and accepted pleas to ABH on the basis of excessive self defence.

DPP v Barreto – Jyoti represented the Defendant in the High Court against treasury Counsel in a case which defined the law on using a mobile phone while driving and led to changes to the law. She was commended by Lady Justice Thirlwall on her “clear and succinct submissions” in the judgement. The case was widely covered in the national press with Jyoti described as “Mr Barreto’s brilliant young barrister” in barrister Matthew Scott’s analysis of the case in the Spectator.

Jyoti accepts instructions for both publicly funded and private clients.

Jyoti's practice encompasses all areas of family law.

Jyoti’s children law practice includes applications for both internal and external relocation, child arrangements disputes involving allegations of violence, drug or alcohol misuse, parental alienation, intractable contact disputes and child abduction.

Jyoti has significant experience acting in cases where one or both parties have mental health conditions including where intermediaries have been appointed by the court. Jyoti has exceptional client care skills and is clear and reassuring with clients who suffer with PTSD.

Jyoti regularly deals with multi-day fact-finding and final hearings and has extensive experience dealing with allegations of serious sexual violence between parents, allegations of violence and sexual violence against children, coercive and controlling behaviour, allegations of parental alienation and cases involving immigration issues. Jyoti has keen attention to detail and is formidable in cross-examination.

Jyoti has recently succeeded in; securing a change of residence for two young children to move to live with their father; a final order for no contact with a father in fiercely contested Children Act proceedings and defeating an enforcement application brought against her client, a mother who had not complied with a contact order in respect of a young baby.

The reported case of GF v GM [2022] EWFC 85 involved allegations of sexual abuse of a child by the Father and cross-allegations made by the Father, supported by the local authority, that the mother had fabricated the allegations and coached the child. In her Judgement the Judge remarked that “Ms Wood did a first-rate job on the Mother’s behalf at challenging and scrutinising the evidence in her cross-examination and submissions”

Jyoti has a proven track-record in appeals to High Court Judges of the Family Court, being granted permission to appeal both a fact-finding determination on allegations of domestic abuse and the making of an occupation order excluding her client from the family home at a Final hearing. 

Jyoti acts in public law matters on behalf of parents, grandparents, local authorities and guardians.

She also frequently acts on behalf of the police in Family proceedings in the High Court which involve issues of disclosure between Criminal and Family courts, including acting in closed material proceedings on issues of national security.

Jyoti regularly acts in financial remedies proceedings and has significant experience with complex cases and those involving enforcement of orders. She has particular experience of cases involving international assets, the application of pre and post nuptial agreements, cases involving significant disclosure failures and cases where one or both parties are running a conduct case.

Jyoti provides clear advice in financial remedies matters and is tenacious and robust in both her written and oral advocacy.

Jyoti regularly appears before the First-Tier and Upper Tribunals and the High Court in asylum, deportation and human rights appeals, entry clearance cases and bail applications.  She advises on the merits of both fresh claims and appeals as well as drafting grounds for judicial review applications. Jyoti has experience representing vulnerable clients including victims of torture, victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

In the case of SSHD v SK (Albania) the Home Office conceded an appeal in the Court of Appeal turning on the issue of the proper approach to a competent authority ‘reasonable grounds decision’ that the Appellant had been trafficked for sexual exploitation.

In the case of SSHD v ST the Appellant’s asylum appeal had been dismissed twice at the First-tier and successfully appealed to the UT. The UT retained the case in view of the lengthy case history and granted the Appellant asylum and humanitarian protection.

In the case of SSHD v RR Jyoti successfully challenged a deportation order made against a client who had been granted asylum but gone on to commit serious criminal offences in the UK.

Jyoti undertakes pro-bono work for Bail for Immigration Detainees representing those detained under immigration powers in bail applications and representing clients pro-bono appealing against Deportation.

Jyoti studied English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford before going on to study law at City University, London. Jyoti was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 2016 as a Lord Denning Scholar, Levitt Scholar and Hardwicke Entrance Award winner.

Jyoti worked as a volunteer for a number of charities including the National Centre for Domestic Violence and she continues to work as a workshop facilitator for the Schools’ Consent Project.

Jyoti is involved with the Universal Periodic Review project at the Centre for Human Rights at Birmingham City University. The UPR is a process under the auspices of the Human Rights Counsel in which all UN member states participate every 4-and-a-half years. Jyoti co-authored a stakeholder report on the UK’s human rights compliance which formed part of the 4th cycle of the UK’s UPR. The report focussed on the rights of migrants, asylum seekers & refugees, detention and racism.

Jyoti and 4KBW’s Kate Jones recently received the Bar Council’s International Professional and legal development grant. They travelled to speak at the International Conference of Family law held by the ISFL in Tobago.

• Levitt Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
• Human Rights Lawyers’ Association Judicial Review Moot Winner
• Lord Denning Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
• Hardwicke Entrance Award, Lincoln’s Inn
• Bar Counsel International Professional and Legal Development Grant recipient