Summary Areas of Experience and Expertise

Julia joined Ashong Benjamin and Associates with an established career in academia, policy development and legal practice in the UK and Ghana.

In the UK, her experience includes advisory work at the Attorney General’s Office where she was involved in an array of legal matters including inquests, contempt, vexatious litigants, public procurement, national security and terrorism. In private practice at Essex Court Chambers, Julia worked on UK/EU cases in aviation, competition, shipping, public international, media and entertainment law. While there, she was also involved in matters before the Employment Tribunal and advised on employment policies. By Ministerial Appointment, she was Advisor to the UK government on the ethical and legal use of DNA technology as a member of the National DNA Database Ethics Group. In Ghana, Julia’s practice has focused on advisory and litigation (trial and appellate) of commercial, criminal, employment, family and regulatory matters. She has recently expanded her practice to include natural resources law.

Julia has advocated, researched or advised pro bono in public interest cases involving citizens on death row, human rights violations and international law, including cases before the European Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

As an academic, Julia has taught Law at King’s College London and Oxford University and helped set up the Faculty of Law at the University of Cape Coast, where she is Senior Lecturer. She has published in reputable academic journals and has several chapters in books by notable publishers such as Oxford University Press and Springer. She is undertaking a doctorate at the Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University where her research findings are expected to be of particular interest to commercial entities as well as space-faring and emerging space nations in the process of drafting or amending space legislation, regulations and policies.

Julia is an experienced advocate, known to present and negotiate with confidence. She is considered a leader in space law and policy in Africa and is a member of several professional societies including the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Canadian Council on International Law and International Institute of Space Law.