Jess practises in commercial law and public law.

Jess is a former Associate to Justice Hayne of the High Court of Australia.  Before coming to the Bar, Jess worked for over 10 years as a solicitor, starting her career at Allens Arthur Robinson (now Allens Linklaters). She later worked as a foreign lawyer with Holman Fenwick Willan in Singapore, as an in-house legal advisor for Shell in Nigeria and as a senior lawyer at the Victorian Department of Education and Training.

Jess built up a broad practice before coming to the Bar.  Her experience includes general litigation, commercial disputes (in particular, in the fields of contract, commodities and shipping) and public law (in particular, discrimination, human rights, environmental law and regulatory law).

In 2020, Jess was Counsel Assisting the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry.

Jess read with Kateena O’Gorman and her senior mentor was Claire Harris KC.

*Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation

Areas of Practice

Cases

• Deam v Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia [2023] FCA 259
• BHP Group Limited v Impiombato & Anor [2022] HCA 33
• Nyoni v Bird [2022] FCAFC 61
• Counsel Assisting the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry (2020) Final Report
• Newham v The Peninsula School [2021] FedCFamC2G 273
• ConnectEast Pty Ltd v CityLink Melbourne Ltd [2021] VSC 626
• Dunstan and National Disability Insurance Agency [2021] AATA 2406
• Retail and Fast Food Workers Union Incorporated v Tantex Holdings Pty Ltd [2020] FCA 1258
• Tidd v Jeffcott [2020] VSC 861