Jennifer Layani Ellis
Originally admitted as a lawyer in France, Jennifer practised criminal law before relocating to Australia, where she requalified and continued her vocation in the criminal jurisdiction.
She worked for the Aboriginal Legal Services, as an Associate to a judge and as a criminal solicitor in a private practice before joining the Bar. Since then, advocacy has been central to her practice, allowing her to combine her strengths in client engagement, preparation, and courtroom presentation.
Jennifer’s main area of practice is criminal law and High-Risk Offenders proceedings. She appears in all jurisdictions in a broad range of serious matters, including murder trials, sexual assault cases, child sex cases and drugs, firearms and personal violence related matters. She is particularly drawn to cases involving complex forensic evidence, such as DNA, blood pattern analysis, fingerprints, medical evidence and other technical material, and is known for her willingness to engage deeply with the detail of a brief, reviewing extensive materials and carefully analysing evidentiary issues.
Hardworking and personable, Jennifer brings a genuine interest in people and their stories to her work. She values building strong relationships with her solicitors and clients, bringing both the legal and human aspects of a matter before the court.
Jennifer is a fierce and relentless cross-examiner. Among her major cases have been the two murder trials against Naji Fakhreddine (the “Valentine’s Day” murder) which resulted in the Crown abandoning the case against her client, the shooting murder trial against Cem Jim Dastan, the matter of the State of New South Wales v Wassim Fayad [2023] NSWSC 115 under the Terrorism (High Risk Offender) Act 2017 where costs were ordered in favour of her client; and sensitive and complex ‘shaken baby’ cases.
In addition to her practice, Jennifer serves as Legal Counsel to the General Consulate of France in Sydney, assisting the Consulate and French nationals in legal matters. Outside the law, she enjoys travelling, reading, and playing tennis.
Jennifer is bilingual in English and in French. She is on the Legal Aid Indictable and Complex panels and on the Legal Services Panel of the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.
For more details: www.layaniellis.com
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Criminal Law
Trials, sentence hearings and bail applications
Appeals
Inquests and Commissions of Inquiry
Proceeds of Crime
Mental Illness and Fitness Matters
Children’s Crime
Regulatory Offences and Disciplinary Hearings
State Parole Authority Hearings
High Risk Offender applications
Apprehended Violence Orders
Traffic and Licence matters
DATES OF ADMISSION
Lawyer (France) 2003
Solicitor (NSW) 2009
Barrister (NSW) 2012
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice
Diploma of Law Legal Profession Admission Board
LLM Intellectual Property University of Montpellier France
Institute of Legal Studies University of Paris XII France
LLB University Paris XII France
Baccalaureate (Distinction) Philosophy, Literature and Foreign Languages Paris France
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Associate to Judge M Finanne QC RFD District Court NSW
Criminal Solicitor NSW
Aboriginal Legal Services NSW/ACT Ltd
Criminal Lawyer Paris France
MEMBERSHIPS/COMMITEES
Legal Aid Specialist Complex Criminal Barrister Panel
Legal Aid Specialist Indictable Criminal Barrister Panel
French Lawyers Panel Consulate General of France and Consulate General of Switzerland
Member of the Criminal Defence Committee and Duty Lawyer Scheme Paris France
Appointed Legal Counsel for the General Consulate of France in Sydney