03 02 2026
Court of Appeal hands down significant judgment in post-Withdrawal Agreement criminality cases
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Julia is a public law, EU and ECHR specialist. She frequently appears in high-profile cases, and is praised by the legal directories as being “a truly excellent public law specialist," who is “phenomenally gifted", “extremely clever and very effective”, as well as “phenomenally hard working", “approachable and responsive" and “what the modern bar should want … amazingly clever but also down to earth.” Before taking silk in 2025, Julia won the award for ‘Human Rights and Public Law Junior of the Year’ at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2022 and the award for Immigration Junior of the Year at the Legal 500 Awards 2024. She was nominated for International Law Silk of the Year in 2025 (Legal 500). In November 2025, Julia was appointed to the Attorney General’s Senior Treasury Counsel Group (STCG), a small team of specialist KCs appointed by the Attorney General to handle some of the most complex and high-profile government civil litigation.
Prior to returning to self-employed practice in 2012, Julia had a successful career as a senior government lawyer. She is recognised by the legal directories as bringing her “experience as counsel for various government departments to claimant work, giving practical insights into how public bodies make decisions on the ground.”
Julia has particular expertise in EU and Withdrawal Agreement law, human rights and civil liberties, social security, health, immigration and free movement law, as well as experience in a broad range of other areas including education, police pensions, parking regulation and environment law and animal welfare.
Julia is an “EU law expert” (Chambers and Partners). She has been instructed in a wide range of areas of EU law, including citizens’ rights, social security, the environment, motor insurance and tax. Julia is also recognised for her expertise in Brexit-related issues (both the Withdrawal Agreement and retained EU law). She has appeared or is instructed in most of the leading cases testing post-exit citizens’ rights issues in the CJEU, Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and lower courts.
Julia’s experience of human rights and civil liberties work spans a range of areas, including health, social security, education, human trafficking, and the immigration context. She frequently appears unled in ground-breaking cases, including the high-profile challenge to the abortion legislation brought by Heidi Crowter, a disability rights campaigner.
Julia won the award for human rights and public law junior of the year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2022.
Julia has many years’ experience of judicial review, gained both from her in-house experience as a government lawyer, and her practice since returning to the self-employed Bar in 2012. She acts for both claimants and defendants in a wide range of areas.
Her work in recent years includes successfully representing claimant car parking organisations in a major challenge to government’s flagship policy on the regulation of private car parks; successfully acting for claimants in a systemic challenge to the Government’s exclusion from free nursery care of children whose parents have no recourse to public funds; and acting for the Government in three linked challenges to the high-profile “pushback” policy (small boats).
Julia is experienced in all aspects of immigration and nationality law, having acted in courts from the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. The directories describe her as a “phenomenally gifted technical barrister” in this field.
Her expertise includes trafficking, asylum, deportation, appeal rights, deprivation of citizenship, good character (nationality) and sponsorship (previously known as Tier 2) cases. Julia has particular expertise in EU free movement law, and is described by the directories as a “genuine and outstanding free-movement specialist" with “an encyclopaedic knowledge of free movement issues".
Described by Legal 500 as a “genuine and outstanding free movement specialist who handles cases beyond her call" and “an effective advocate with an encyclopeadic knowledge of free movement issues," Julia is experienced in all aspects of EU law. She has been instructed in many recent test cases, often as sole counsel.
As a senior government lawyer, Julia was closely involved in many ground-breaking social security and EU free movement cases in the domestic courts and CJEU and established and chaired a cross-government group on EU free movement issues. She also spent several years as a lawyer advising the government on the regulation of medicines and medical devices.
Julia has advised on and appeared in a number of high-profile issues and challenges, including challenges arising from the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic (such as the “traffic light” system, the social isolation rules, and a case about “rationing” of health care), as well as two highly-publicised abortion challenges in the Court of Appeal.
Julia’s experience in the health field spans social care, NHS continuing care, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and commissioning. As a government lawyer, Julia advised on foundation trusts, failing NHS trusts, organ donation, NHS fraud, NHS reconfiguration, the private patient cap, prison health and work with special health authorities. Julia also worked for several years as a legal adviser to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, specialising in the regulation of medicines and medical devices.
Julia is experienced in all aspects of social security law, appearing in cases from the Supreme Court to the First-tier Tribunal. She has appeared in many of the leading cases in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court concerning the “right to reside” test and EU social security co-ordination law, as well as high-profile and sensitive ECHR and domestic law challenges. Before returning to chambers, Julia was a senior lawyer at DWP.
Julia is instructed to act for a group investors in one of a number of linked judicial review challenges to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. More information here.
With a strong track record of advising and representing local authorities, we offer expert legal support across a diverse range of areas and issues. Recognised for our clear, pragmatic legal guidance and strong advocacy, we are well-placed to support local government bodies in meeting complex and evolving challenges.
Landmark's barristers often work at the intersection of our core practice areas; bringing a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience to bear on a particular dispute or issue facing a client.
Our focus is always on achieving the best possible outcome for our client. By viewing the client's objectives in a holistic way - and not purely through the lens of one rigidly-defined legal area - we deliver the best possible advice and representation in complex matters that engage multiple specialist areas of law.
Whether it's providing support as an individual cross-practice barrister or a cross-disciplinary team of Landmark counsel, we are able to draw on an outstanding array of complementary skillsets and knowledge bases. This often achieves a better result than instructing multiple barristers from different specialist sets. This also improves the quality of client care through increased levels of communication, quicker response times, and a coordinated approach to clerking and fees, made possible by our team-based cross-practice approach.
Please contact our practice management team for more information.
Julia is an “EU law expert” (Chambers and Partners). She has been instructed in a wide range of areas of EU law, including citizens’ rights, social security, the environment, motor insurance and tax. Julia is also recognised for her expertise in Brexit-related issues (both the Withdrawal Agreement and retained EU law). She has appeared or is instructed in most of the leading cases testing post-exit citizens’ rights issues in the CJEU, Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and lower courts.
A truly excellent public law specialist"
cases
03 02 2026
Court of Appeal hands down significant judgment in post-Withdrawal Agreement criminality cases
cases
02 02 2026
Court of Appeal clarifies meaning of Employment and Support Allowance absence rules
cases
01 12 2025
Court of Appeal hands down judgment in Withdrawal Agreement case
cases
25 11 2025
Supreme Court hands down judgment in Simkova v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2025]…
cases
13 11 2025
Court of Appeal confirms correct statutory regime for the revocation of deportation orders
news
06 11 2025
Appointment of Julia Smyth KC to the Attorney General’s Senior Treasury Counsel Group
cases
04 11 2025
Court of Appeal decides case concerning deprivation of citizenship decision taken on the…
cases
27 10 2025
High Court challenge to leasehold reform is dismissed
Appointed to the Attorney General's Senior Treasury Counsel Group.
Prior to taking Silk, Julia was on the Attorney General's A Panel of Junior Counsel.
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