Leila Ghahhary

Call To The Bar: 2010

Ranked as a leading junior in Inquests and Inquiries:

“Leila Ghahhary is a skilled advocate who has represented both public authorities and the bereaved in numerous inquests and inquiries, including the Hillsborough inquests. She also appeared on the Gosport Independent Panel. Leila is good with clients and her written advice is really comprehensive. She is bright, thorough, meticulous and highly engaging.” Chambers & Partners 2024

 “Leila’s written advice is comprehensive yet succinct, and written in a way that is accessible to both lay and professional clients. She has a commanding court room presence and is clear in her oral argument and submissions; one of the go-to counsel for inquests operating on the Northern Circuit.” Tier 1 Inquests and Inquiries – Legal 500, 2024

“She is a highly skilled advocate and has a commanding presence in court. She’s always thoroughly well prepared.” Chambers & Partners, 2023

“Leila is a superb leading junior in inquests and inquiries. She is a highly skilled advocate who presents well-reasoned arguments, captures the attention of the tribunal and always considers the bigger picture. She is meticulous in terms of approach and a fantastic team-player who will take on board the views of others.” Legal 500, 2023

“She has a very good presence when performing on her feet and she got on well with the client. She was very accessible and approachable and the end result was really good.” Chambers & Partners, 2023

“Her attention to detail is fantastic and she is very proactive. She is also easy to get hold of.” Chambers and Partners, 2022

“Offers exceptional support, quickly grasps the key issues and complexities in the case and adopts a methodical and thorough approach.” Chambers and Partners, 2022

“Leila’s attention to detail and thoroughness are outstanding. Leila is a fantastic team player and ensures that everyone’s view is considered. Leila’s view is invariably sensible and clear” Legal 500, 2022

“A skilled advocate with excellent experience in this field. She has represented both public authorities and the bereaved in numerous high-profile inquests and inquiries, including the fresh Hillsborough inquests. She also appeared on the Gosport Independent Panel” Chambers and Partners, 2021

“I would not hesitate to recommend her as she is excellent with clients and has a commanding presence on her feet in court.’ ‘Leila Ghahhary is extremely bright, thorough and meticulous; her analytical skills are second to none, as is her knowledge of public and regulatory law.’ ‘She is very sharp, delightful with solicitors and clients, and determined and fair in court. She’s also meticulously well prepared.” Chambers and Partners, 2021

“A ‘commanding and authoritative presence on her feet’, Leila Ghahhary is also one to watch in this area of practice” Legal 500, 2021

Leila is an exceptional find! She has a background in local authority work which ideally suits some of the issues that arise in inquests and inquiries. Leila is an extremely competent advocate, compelling and impressive on her feet, always meticulously prepared and provides her clients with utmost confidence.” Legal 500, 2021

Ranked as a leading junior in Business and Regulatory Crime:

Recommended in Legal 500, 2024 – Tier 1 – Business and Regulatory Crime (Inc H&S)

“Leila is incredibly approachable and communicative, and it is very easy to develop a positive working relationship with her. Her written and oral advice is both concise and comprehensive, and provided in a manner which is appropriate to the recipient, be that a lay or professional client. She is brilliant on her feet and has a commanding presence in court.” Legal 500, 2023

“Leila is a fantastic addition to any team. Her attention to detail and knowledge of niche regulatory areas is worth its weight in gold. Leila is refreshingly hard working and gives masses of time and attention to any job” Legal 500, 2022

Leila is becoming a true expert in this field. Her background is superbly suited to the difficult and unusual regulations that appear in many cases. She is an absolute delight to work with and often has razor-like insight into complex cases. Her client care is second to none and she is always a real help.” Legal 500, 2021

“She has good judgement and a commanding presence in court” Legal 500, 2020

Leila is a highly regarded and sought after leading barrister specialising in public inquiries, public law, and regulatory law.  Leila is ranked by the professional guides as a Tier 1 advocate. She is regularly instructed in complex, high profile cases of national significance to represent and advise local and central government departments, public and private organisations, and individuals before a range of courts, tribunals, and constitutional panels, across a multitude of legal areas.

Leila was instructed in the Manchester Arena Inquiry as Counsel to several of the bereaved families of those who died as a result of the bombing at the Manchester Arena in 2017. The Inquiry was established to investigate the circumstances of the deaths of the victims of the 2017 terrorist attack.

Leila was appointed by the Secretary of State for Health, as Junior Counsel to the Gosport Independent Panel. This panel was constituted by the Minister to examine and report on historical events which relate to the care, treatment, and deaths of the patients of the Gosport War Memorial Hospital in Portsmouth.

Leila was instructed by the UK Information Commissioner on matters relating to UK data protection law arising from the Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry (the ‘Cash for ash’ scandal). This Inquiry related to a controversial renewable heat incentive scheme and the actions of politicians, their special advisors, and members of the energy industry. The controversy led to the collapse of Stormont.

Leila was instructed as Junior Counsel for an Interested Party in the Hillsborough Inquests which related to the events during and after the well documented Hillsborough football stadium tragedy in April 1989.  This case is one of national importance and significance and is the largest and longest Inquest proceedings ever to be held in the UK.

Leila has been appointed onto:

Leila’s practice includes a wide range of public and regulatory law, including:

Prior to joining Lincoln House Chambers, Leila spent 9 years working in-house as a Local Government Lawyer within the Common Law Department of a Greater Manchester Local Authority. The work Leila undertook in this role was varied, complex, voluminous, and covered the full range of common law, statutory and corporate functions of local government, relevant to all departments and levels of seniority. Leila regularly represented the authority in court proceedings on a wide range of civil, criminal, and regulatory matters, in all manner of courts and tribunals. Since joining the independent Bar, Leila continues to enjoy instructions from many local authorities on all aspects of local government business.

Leila’s background of experience brings to any case the added advantage of first hand understanding of the wider statutory, public law and corporate issues which affect governance in the public and regulatory arena.