Leanne Clare is a Judge of the District Court of Queensland

District Court of Queensland

The District Court of Queensland is a court in Queensland, a state of Australia. It has jurisdiction to hear:* appeals from decisions of the Magistrates' Court of Queensland;...

 and a former Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions

Director of Public Prosecutions

The Director of Public Prosecutions is the officer charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world...

 (DPP). On 2 April 2008 she was appointed to the District Court after eight years as DPP. Between 1999 and 2000 she served as an acting judge at Ipswich

Ipswich, Queensland

Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...

 District Court.

Clare was admitted to the Bar

Call to the bar

The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...

 in 1985. She spent 14 years working with the Queensland Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), and during that period she served as an acting District Court judge on two occasions. In June, 2000, she was appointed as the new DPP, and in so doing became the first woman to hold the role in Queensland. In 2006, while serving as DPP, Clare was appointed Senior Counsel

Senior Counsel

The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...

.

Clare's time as DPP resulted in significant changes to the shape of the Office, including providing a "mentoring system and pathway for young prosecutors". Some of her decisions as Director of Public Prosecutions were described as controversial, such as the decision to prosecute Pauline Hanson

Pauline Hanson

Pauline Lee Hanson is an Australian politician and former leader of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, a political party with a populist and anti-multiculturalism platform...

 for electoral funds fraud and the decision not to prosecute a police officer over a death in custody on Palm Island

2004 Palm Island death in custody

The 2004 Palm Island death in custody incident relates to the death of Palm Island, Queensland resident, Mulrunji on Friday, 19 November 2004 in a police cell. The death of Mulrunji led to civic disturbances on the island and a legal, political and media sensation that continued for three years...

, although upon her departure from the position it was also noted that she had led "successful prosecutions of some of the highest profile cases ever in the state".

At the District Court swearing in ceremony the Chief Judge Patsy Wolfe stated that Clare had filled her previous role as DPP in a "wise and fearless" manner. She further expressed confidence in Clare's appointment to the bench. Queensland Attorney-General Kerry Shine

Kerry Shine

Kerry Gerard Shine is the Australian Labor Party representative of the seat of Toowoomba North in the Queensland Legislative Assembly.He first ran for election in the 1998 state election...

said that she had "...acted with integrity and had been fiercely independent in a very difficult role."