The daughter of a Cambridge legal academic, Mrs Justice Dias was born and went to school in the city, and was awarded a scholarship to study law at Trinity Hall. She was called to the Bar in 1982, and became the first female tenant at 7 King’s Bench Walk. At the Bar, Dame Julia practised in a range of commercial fields, with a particular focus on shipping, insurance and reinsurance, and professional negligence litigation involving legal and insurance professionals. She was also a member of the Gibraltar Bar, and practised internationally in commercial arbitration, both as an advocate and as an arbitrator. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2008. Dame Julia was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2018. She has been a High Court Judge since 2023. She is one of the authors of ‘Carver On Charterparties’, the modern incarnation of one of the classic texts on English shipping law.

Dame Julia’s indoors leisure activities include classical music and reading. In the open air, she enjoys walking, running, and gardening.