Felicity Gerry KC

Practice Areas

Labelled “The International Dynamo” Dr Felicity Gerry KC is a dedicated and experienced advocate who leads for the defence in serious, complex, and sensitive trials and appeals at every level of court and in several jurisdictions. Felicity specialises in defending homicide, terrorism, financial crime and war crimes trials and appeals. She is particularly well known for her expertise on complicity law and her work in alleged "joint enterprise" trials and appeals. She is known for her exceptional courtroom presence and has been described as “a leader in her field”, “a fearless and effective advocate”, and “a true inspiration to junior lawyers” and as “a wonderful fighter with an extraordinary intellect, she’s very efficient and very good with clients.”. She is admitted at the International Criminal Court (ICC) (currently defending Mr Al Hassan) and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in The Hague, to the Bar of England & Wales and the Victorian Bar, Australia. She has also had ad hoc admission in Hong Kong and Gibraltar. She recently defended in a multi-defendant alleged conspiracy to evade commodity-based tax on large scale transnational organised operation. She also led the legal memorandum on due diligence in investment listing on SGX which led to the $82 million divestment of the Golden City scheme.

Career

In additon to being a highly sought after defence King's Counsel, Felicity is a Professor of Legal Practice at Deakin University, where she is the Unit Chair in the undergraduate and JD programs teaching ‘Contemporary International Legal Challenges’ – including Sanctions Law, War Crimes, Modern Slavery, Digital / Tech law, Terrorism, and Art Law and she is involved in the clinical programs. She is also an Honorary Professor in the School of Health and Society at Salford University.

Publications

Felicity has consulted for the UNODC on the intersection between human trafficking, the smuggling of migrants and cybercrime. She has a long history of training professionals: this includes prosecutors in Rwanda on human trafficking, gender-based violence and corruption law as part of the Bridges to Justice Project; the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Modern Slavery Project and the Bangladesh Judiciary Management Project.

Her policy submissions have led to changes in the law on Modern Slavery, FGM and Reproductive Rights and supported approaches to Afghanistan post-withdrawal.

She currently leads a Legal Services Board funded research project on Modern Slavery. She led a death penalty study for the Commission of Human Rights for the Philippines and a Human Trafficking report in 2023 for the International Bar Association and contributed to the 2022 Edge of Law Report in key legal challenges in the Asia-Pacific for the Bar Human Rights Committee and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative.

Felicity is widely published in the fields of women and law, technology and law, and reforming justice systems. She contributes to Annotated Leading Cases of International Criminal Tribunals, the Research Handbook on Feminist Engagement in International Law, Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Law and Practice, and is the Editor of ANZSIL Perspective.

Work Highlights

Felicity led the appeal in R v Jogee in the UKSC that corrected the law on joint enterprise in the UK Supreme Court, described by the BBC as a ‘moment of genuine legal history’. She has also drafted two pieces of proposed legislation on complicity law.

She led the successful petition for mercy in Zak Grieve's case which led to a reduction in his minimum term on a mandatory life sentence. She led the legal Memo on Investment in Myanmar which led to the $80m divestment of the Golden City Scheme,

She led submissions to 2 governments on women, peace and security in Afghanistan

She led a group of academics and practitioners granted leave to file an amicus curiae brief in the Radovan Karadžić appeal in the ICTY

She led a group of academics and practitioners granted leave to file an amicus curiae brief in the Dominic Ongwen appeal in the ICC

Assisted lawyers in the Philippines in the temporary reprieve from execution of Mary Jane Veloso using her research on the law, practice and procedure relating to human trafficking victims who commit crime

Defended in 3 high profile terrorism trials so far

Defending Mr Al Hassan in the ICC

Reported for the American Bar Association on the human rights issues in the draft cybercrime law for Cambodia

Developed a teaching module for UNODC on the linkages between Trafficking in Persons, Smuggling of Migrants and Cybercrime

Contributed to changing the law on combatting FGM in the UK and on reproductive rights in the NT, Australia and on developing law and policy on modern slavery.

Languages Spoken

French

Industry Sector Expertise

Crime - homicide, terrorism, financial crime and war crimes.

International Crime

Human Rights

Investment due dligience

Modern Slavery due diligence

Awards

Education