Leanna joined Garden Court as a tenant in September 2025.
Leanna has a broad practice encompassing international human rights law, public law, immigration and asylum law, prison law, extradition, and youth criminal law.
Leanna has ten years’ experience working at legal charities focusing on international human rights, humanitarian and criminal law. Before coming to the bar, she was a lawyer with the Global Legal Action Network, working on transnational litigation to address international human rights violations and environmental harms. She was previously a Legal Adviser at REDRESS, an NGO that seeks justice and reparation for survivors of torture, where she led REDRESS’s work on securing the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from Iran.
Prior to this, Leanna was based in Iraq building prosecution cases against members of ISIS for the Yezidi genocide. Leanna began her career as a criminal defence solicitor advocate for Aboriginal people in the Australian outback.
Leanna has been interviewed regarding her work by BBC News, BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, Sky News, Andrew Marr on BBC One, and various radio programmes. Her cases have been featured in the Guardian, BBC News, the Times, the Independent, i Paper, and Middle East Eye, among others.
Leanna has an LL.M. in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights from the Geneva Academy and bachelor’s degrees in law and journalism from Australia. She is a qualified solicitor in New South Wales.
International Human Rights
Overview
Leanna has extensive experience working in international human rights.
As a lawyer with the Global Legal Action Network, Leanna developed litigation to challenge international human rights and environmental issues. Her cases included World Uyghur Congress v Secretary of State for the Home Department – a judicial review of the NCA’s failure to investigate forced labour cotton imported from the Uyghur region; Al Haq v Secretary of State for Business and Trade – a judicial review of the government’s licensing of arms to Israel; and a criminal complaint to police regarding the use of Pegasus spyware against human rights defenders in the UK.
As a Legal Adviser at the NGO REDRESS, Leanna led REDRESS’ work on securing the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from Iran. She also ran projects under REDRESS’ repartitions programme.
Leanna has experience working in Iraq building prosecution cases against members of ISIS for the Yezidi genocide under the training and direction of Sareta Ashraph.
Contact Leanna
Migration and Asylum Law
Administrative and Public Law
Youth Criminal Law
Extradition
Overview
Leanna is building an extradition practice and welcomes instructions in this area.
In 2023 Leanna contributed to international negotiations and drafting of a multilateral treaty on mutual legal assistance and extradition: The Ljubljana–The Hague Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and Other International Crimes.
