Jessica Bristol is an accomplished generalist litigator with experience acting for Commonwealth and State governments and private industry clients. She has held senior leadership roles in large, high-profile matters and reviews including large Commonwealth class actions, coronial inquests and the DLA Piper Review of Allegations of Sexual and other Abuse in Defence.
Jessica regularly advises and represents clients in a variety of areas including general liability, professional indemnity, regulatory investigations, Royal Commissions, coronial inquests, environmental contamination, defamation, WHS investigations and prosecutions, breach of contract, and institutional abuse. She is sought after for her ability to manage and coordinate large litigation teams, think creatively, and negotiate at all stages of a matter.
Jessica is known for her practical advice, affable nature and genuine client relationships.
Jessica’s work highlights include:
- PFAS Class Actions: acting for the Commonwealth in class action proceedings involving alleged contamination at several Defence sites.
- Robodebt Royal Commission: advising clients in relation to responding to compulsory notices and preparing submissions in relation to potential adverse findings.
- Department of Defence: Jessica held a senior leadership role coordinating and acting for the Commonwealth on a complex and high-profile dispute involving breach of contract and copyright issues relating to the use of particular software spanning several decades.
- Comcover: acting for the Commonwealth in class action proceedings relating to the outbreak of prawn white spot syndrome virus in South East Queensland in 2016.
- Office of Dispute Resolution & Litigation (DRL), Department of Defence (legal secondment): managed and coordinated a number of Defence’s high-profile and complex litigated matters including coronial inquests, and WHS prosecutions. While at the Department Jessica introduced increased stakeholder engagement in sensitive and high profile matters and assisted in the development of new Standard Operating Procedures for coronials.
- Confidential Regulatory Investigation: acting for a private company in relation to alleged breaches of the Customs Act and navigating proposed prohibitions on export of particular goods to particular persons.
- Confidential Regulatory Investigation: acting for a private company in relation to an investigation by an industry body.
- DLA Piper Review of Allegations of Sexual and Other Abuse in Defence (Defence Review): leading the Review team including coordinating evidentiary documents, assessing the integrity of claims against the Terms of Reference, interviewing key witnesses and drafting portions of the report to the Minister.
