Human rights and environmental lawyer

Jessica is recognized as one of the country’s leading specialists in public/regulatory, EU and human rights law, acting for a wide range of clients, ranging from large companies, regulators, Government departments, NGOs, and for private individuals. She has particular experience in data protection privacy/data protection, tax, regulatory/competition law across different industries and in civil liberties work.

Jessica represented the second Claimant, Dos Santos, in R (Miller & Anor) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union & Ors [2017] UKSC 5, the challenge to the Prime Minister’s decision to use the Royal Prerogative to notify the EU of the UK’s intended withdrawal under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. Jessica also recently acted for Privacy International and Open Rights Group in its intervention in a challenge to the emergency legislation adopted to require telecom companies to retain data showing the identity, time, location and duration of electronic communications in R (Watson and Davis) and the Open Rights Group and Privacy International v S/S Home Department [2015] EWCA Civ 1185; [2015] EWHC 2092.

Prior to taking Silk in 2013 she was a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel of Counsel. She is editor of ‘Human Rights Practice’, a qualified mediator, was in 2016 UK nominee for Judge at the European Court of Human Rights, is a member of BEG and vice chair of the Bar Council EU Law Committee. Jessica was listed in The Lawyer Hot 100 2014.