Julie Ding 丁嘉昱

• BCom / LLB – Auckland – 2010

Julie approaches cases with clarity, making sense of complex issues, to give clients careful advice and achieve results. 

Julie acts as counsel in a wide range of cases, having led and assisted in civil, criminal and family proceedings. In the civil jurisdiction she has particular interest in assisting with the recovery of assets, armed with the practical experience of achieving this across multiple jurisdictions. In the criminal jurisdiction she is adept across a wide range of offending including the most serious charges where she has obtained acquittals on murder and other homicide charges.

Julie began her career primarily defending criminal cases, appearing in the District Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal. Consistent with the ethos that advocates should make their skills a specialty, rather than specialise in the subject matter, this means Julie has appeared as lead counsel and junior counsel in most practice areas.

Before moving to the bar, Julie was a director at a boutique law firm in the Auckland CBD and oversaw the wider litigation team. She facilitated the expansion of the litigation capabilities of the firm. She also expanded the criminal legal aid work to include Manukau in addition to Auckland.

Many of the cases Julie has assisted with are those involving complex fraud. These have involved detailed forensic accounting evidence, often requiring the peeling back of structures and transactions. This has involved several international cross-border issues. She has also led and assisted with criminal proceeds proceedings.

Julies speaks fluent Mandarin, can comprehend Cantonese (and to a limited extent some Korean), and is certified as a PAL4 criminal legal aid provider.

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R v Gaoxiang Yu [2023] NZHC 1391

Co-counsel on sentencing for murder in obtaining the successful outcome of a finite sentence of 15 years imprisonment with a minimum-period of imprisonment of 8 years, on a novel case. This sentencing exercise was described as being the most technically difficult that Justice Moore had encountered and had proceeded under urgency.  Julie has acted for Mr Yu throughout his numerous proceedings since 2018. 

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New World (New Zealand) Limited v Wang [2023] NZCA 35

This case has originated in the District Court. It was then heard in the High Court on an enforcement process and was appealed to the Court of Appeal.

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Estate of Michael David Kidd v Alexander Pieter van Heeren

Junior counsel to Stephen Mills QC and Brent O’Callahan over a number of years, notable assistance in:

• Junior counsel in a five-week account taking hearing before Jagose J ([2021] NZHC 1414).
• Three appeals to the Court of Appeal.
• Ancillary hearings, involving privilege, disclosure, documents overseas in Liechtenstein proceedings, costs and funding applications.

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R v Zhang & Long [2021] NZHC 3522

Junior counsel to Marc Corlett QC on a sophisticated and unique fraud.

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ASI Global Investments Inc v Al Yousef [2020] NZHC 1983; [2021] NZHC 288

Assisting a British Virgin Islands company seeking interim relief in support of a Swiss proceeding, relating to Emirati nationals living in Dubai. Charging orders obtained, under challenge by the respondent against a forestry block in Northland.

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Sharma & ors v Mundath & ors [2018] NZHC 675

Junior counsel in acting for 38 plaintiffs as members of a family and business group defrauded by a financial controller of $4.7m over 7 years. Obtained ex parte worldwide freezing orders; obtained summary judgment; a complex interest determination and subsequent enforcement steps taken.

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Commission of Police v Zhu [2015] NZHC 2175

Successful defence of a criminal proceeds application by the Commissioner.

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NZ Lawyer

Rising Stars 2022

• Li v Liu [2019] NZLJ 18 (New Zealand Law Journal)
• Auckland Council v Woolworths New Zealand Limited [2021] NZLJ 385 (New Zealand Law Journal)