Julie is developing a broad practice in line with Chambers’ expertise, including commercial, employment and competition law. During pupillage, she gained significant experience across these areas assisting supervisors and other members of chambers.
Recent highlights (as a pupil) include:
- Assisting Patrick Green KC in the Supreme Court state immunity appeal in Republic of Zimbabwe v Border Timbers Ltd [2026] UKSC 9.
- Assisting Geraint Webb KC and Ognjen Miletic in an international commercial case involving novel duty of care arguments.
- Assisting Kathleen Donnelly KC in an employment mediation.
- Assisting in the Supreme Court trade mark appeal in Iconix v Dream Pairs[2025] UKSC 25.
- Assisting in various employment matters involving issues of equal pay, discrimination, territorial jurisdiction and worker status.
- Assisting with advice on potential sanctions liability of insurers.
- Assisting in a dispute before the CAT on costs allocation following a low uptake of damages in collective proceedings (Gutmann v First MTR South Western Trains Ltd [2025] CAT 72).
- Assisting with advice on limitation issues in the context of a competition claim.
Julie is particularly interested in work with an international dimension. In addition, she has a lively court practice and regularly appears as sole counsel in the County Court.
Julie graduated from Trinity College Dublin with First Class Honours, winning several academic prizes and a Silver Medal for Oratory from her university debating union. She was selected for the Washington Ireland Programme, a cross-border initiative for leadership and service, and interned in policy research at the AU Sine Institute for Policy and Politics.
She then read for an MPhil in Politics and International Studies at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and completed a summer school in International Humanitarian Law at the University of Leiden. Julie achieved Distinctions in both the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Bar Course, supported by various Inns of Court scholarships.
Prior to joining chambers, Julie completed pupillage at a leading commercial set where she gained specialist knowledge of costs, professional negligence, insurance and intellectual property disputes.
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Expertise
Commercial Litigation
Julie completed pupillage at a leading commercial set and is building a broad commercial practice. She has wide-ranging experience including contractual, professional negligence, insurance and trade mark disputes.
She is particularly interested in commercial work with an international dimension.
As a pupil, Julie has assisted in relation to:
- An international commercial case involving novel duty of care arguments (with Geraint Webb KC and Ognjen Miletic).
- A Supreme Court trade mark appeal in Iconix v Dream Pairs[2025] UKSC 25.
- An application to contest jurisdiction on forum non conveniens
- An advice on sanctions liability risk for an insurer.
- Drafting applications and advice on injunctive relief in (i) fraud; (ii) trade mark and (iii) breach of fiduciary duty claims.
- Drafting pleadings, advice and correspondence in a range of insurance coverage disputes and claims engaging the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010.
- Various matters of contractual interpretation.
- Drafting pleadings and advice across a full range of professional negligence claims against (i) legal professionals; (ii) insurance brokers; (iii) surveyors and (iv) tax professionals.
Employment
Julie is building a busy employment practice and gained significant exposure to employment law during pupillage. She is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.
Julie’s experience as a pupil includes:
- Assisting Kathleen Donnelly KC in an employment mediation.
- Assisting with legal research in a complex equal pay claim.
- Assisting in the drafting of a skeleton argument for final hearing before the ET in a discrimination claim (with James Williams).
- Assisting in the drafting of advice on territorial jurisdiction, worker and employee status in an unfair dismissal claim (with James Williams).
- Assisting in the drafting of an appeal skeleton to the EAT to anonymise an ET judgment (with James Williams).
Public International Law
Julie has a keen interest in all areas of public international law.
As a pupil, she worked on various aspects of state immunity ahead of the Supreme Court appeal in Republic of Zimbabwe v Border Timbers Ltd [2026] UKSC 9 (assisting Patrick Green KC). Julie is also interested in domestic enforcement of international law, having assisted during pupillage with advice on sanctions liability.
During her masters, Julie undertook an extended module in “International Constitutional Law” under the tutelage of Professor Marc Weller, covering a wide range of substantive public international law including (i) genocide, (ii) self-determination, (iii) state responsibility (iv) human rights, and (v) the law of armed conflict.
In 2022, she completed a summer school at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, University of Leiden, on International Humanitarian Law in Theory and Practice.
Arbitration & Private International Law
Julie has a particular interest in international work, including arbitration and private international law.
As a pupil, she assisted in a range of disputes involving arbitration and jurisdiction. These included:
- Assisting Patrick Green KC in preparation for the Supreme Court appeal in Republic of Zimbabwe v Border Timbers Ltd [2026] UKSC 9, which concerned the setting aside of ICSID award registration in the United Kingdom.
- Researching the application of preliminary issue principles in an UNCITRAL arbitration.
- Assisting in an application skeleton to contest jurisdiction of a contractual dispute on forum non conveniens
Before starting pupillage, Julie marshalled in the Commercial Court with the Hon. Mr. Justice Robin Knowles during Federal Republic of Nigeria v Process & Industrial Developments Ltd [2023] EWHC 2638 (Comm), where three LCIA awards against the Nigerian state were set aside.
Julie’s article on arbitration and climate change was published in the Gray’s Inn Student Law Journal Volume XVI (2024).
Competition & Consumer
Julie is developing her practice in competition and consumer law. Her recent experience has included:
- Assisting (as a pupil) in a dispute before the CAT on costs allocation following a low uptake of damages in collective proceedings (Gutmann v First MTR South Western Trains Ltd [2025] CAT 72).
- Assisting with advice on limitation issues in the context of a competition claim (as a pupil).
- Researching preliminary legal issues ahead of a CMA investigation (as a pupil, assisting Anna Medvinskaia).
Julie has also contributed to an alerter on collateral use of disclosed evidence in subsequent proceedings following the decision in Evans v Barclays [2025] UKSC 48, a case which originated in the CAT.
Public & Regulatory
Julie is developing a varied public and regulatory practice.
As a pupil, she assisted members of chambers on various matters including:
- Advice on the amenability of a university to judicial review (assisting James Williams).
- Researching the effect of the public law duty of candour and potential effects of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill 2025 on disclosure in civil proceedings.
- Advice on the implementation of public procurement regulations.
Advice on the operation of the Pubs Code regulatory regime.
Health & Safety
Julie accepts instructions in health and safety claims. As a pupil, she recently assisted Prashant Popat KC in an application to dismiss charges under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Professional Discipline & Professional Negligence
Before joining Henderson Chambers, Julie completed pupillage at a leading commercial set specialising in professional negligence and professional discipline.
She gained extensive experience assisting members of chambers in drafting pleadings and advice across the full range of professional negligence matters. This includes bringing and defending claims against (i) legal professionals; (ii) insurance brokers; (iii) surveyors and (iv) tax professionals. Also as a pupil, Julie assisted with advice on disciplinary proceedings before the Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal.
Inquests & Inquiries
Julie is developing a practice in inquests and public inquiries. During pupillage, she assisted Tim Green KC in researching the collateral use of material disclosed in inquests and inquiries, and preparing two Chambers alerters on this topic.
Costs
Julie is equipped to advise on the costs aspects of litigation in related areas of her practice.
She completed pupillage at a specialist costs set, where she assisted members of chambers with the following:
- Advising on the applicability of the new fixed costs regime to Part 8 claims.
- Drafting a skeleton argument resisting an application for compelled detailed assessment.
- Drafting application skeletons for (i) security for costs; and (ii) non-party costs.
Assisting in a dispute on costs allocation in the CAT.
Instructing Julie Leenane
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Gray’s Inn Student Law Journal Volume XVI (2024): “Federal Republic of Nigeria v Process & Industrial Developments Ltd [2023]: Arbitral interventionism, climate change and the public interest”
- ALBA
- Employment Lawyers Association
Education
- BVS, City University – Distinction
- GDL, City University – Distinction
- MPhil Politics and International Studies, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
- BA English Literature and History, Trinity College Dublin – First Class Honours
Scholarships
- Bedingfield Scholarship, Gray’s Inn
- David Karmel Scholarship, Gray’s Inn
- Hebe Plunkett Scholarship, Gray’s Inn
- The City Law School Scholarship for Academic Excellence
- Robert Wallace Henry Exhibition, Trinity College Dublin
- Entrance Exhibition, Trinity College Dublin
- Silver Medal for Oratory, “The Hist” debating union, Trinity College Dublin
