7 King's Bench Walk

Described as “a very impressive barrister”, Jessica has a wide-ranging commercial practice including shipping, shipbuilding, international trade, insurance & reinsurance, professional negligence & regulatory work (auditors). She is regularly instructed in high value disputes often with jurisdictional issues. She is consistently listed as a leading junior in the directories and has been nominated as junior counsel of the year (shipping, commodities & aviation).

Recent work includes:

The Court of Appeal decision in National Iranian Oil Co v Crescent Petroleum Co International Ltd [2022] EWHC 2641 (Comm) (Butcher J) and [2023] EWCA Civ 826 (CA). The case concerned the interplay between s.67 & s.73 of the Arbitration Act 1996, including the scope of s.67(4) (that only the first instance judge can grant permission to appeal from a “decision under” s.67); a SIAC arbitration commodities dispute worth US$14 million (successful on all issues); a LCIA Arbitration (share purchase dispute) worth US$100million; acting as sole counsel in three high-value superyacht disputes.

She regularly appears in Court and in International Arbitration proceedings (ICC, LCIA, LMAA, ARIAS, SIAC, Bermuda Form and ad hoc arbitrations), and has been appointed as an arbitrator by the LCIA and in ad hoc arbitrations.

Qualified 2003 Middle Temple. Tenant since 2004.

Cambridge University, Downing College (2001 MA; 2002 LLM).