Justin Gleeson

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]

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]

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]