Justin Gleeson

Justin Thomas Gleeson SC (born 9 April 1961^[1]) is an Australian lawyer and former Solicitor-General of Australia,^[2] the Commonwealth's second-ranking law officer.

Justin Gleeson SC
Solicitor-General of Australia
In office 14 February 2012 – 6 November 2016
Appointed by	Quentin Bryce
Preceded by	Stephen Gageler
Succeeded by	Stephen Donaghue
Personal details
Born	Justin Thomas Gleeson (1961-04-09) 9 April 1961 (age 64) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Alma mater	University of Sydney University of Oxford
Occupation	Barrister, Solicitor-General of Australia

Early life and education

Gleeson was educated at St Patrick's College, Strathfield,^[1] then the University of Sydney, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (University Medal^[3] and First-Class Honours).^[4] Gleeson undertook postgraduate studies in the law at the University of Oxford, where he earned a Bachelor of Civil Law.^[2]

Career

Gleeson was appointed Solicitor-General in 2012, having acted in that capacity since the departure of Stephen Gageler the previous year. Prior to his appointment, Gleeson was the Head of Banco Chambers.

Following a disagreement with the Commonwealth Attorney-General, George Brandis, about a direction made by the Attorney-General which restricted access to the Solicitor-General, Gleeson announced that he would resign with effect from 7 November 2016. In his resignation letter, Gleeson stated that his relationship with the Attorney-General was "irretrievably broken".^[5][6]

Following his resignation, Gleeson rejoined private practice and returned to Banco Chambers, the chambers that he founded.^[7] In addition to acting as counsel in domestic courts, Gleeson is also currently working as an international arbitrator.^[7]

In September 2017, Gleeson joined the legal team of Tony Windsor, led by Ron Merkel QC, in the High Court case Re: Joyce, one of the seven cases constituting the 2017 Australian constitutional crisis.^[8]

Personal life

Justin is married to academic and author Dr Bernadette Brennan. They have two daughters Madeline and Caitlin. His father is Gerald Gleeson AC, a former senior public servant in the Labor Government in New South Wales. One of his brothers, Fabian Gleeson, is a former judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal.^[9] His father-in-law is former High Court Chief Justice Sir Gerard Brennan. His elder daughter is author Madeline Gleeson.^[10]