Biography
Jessica is a Partner and heads up the London Construction & Infrastructure team.
Jessica has over 28 years’ experience in advising on construction and engineering law. Her expertise includes working with property investors, institutional clients, banks, contractors and consultants as well as for social housing providers and local authorities on a wide range of projects in a number of sectors including the residential sector as well as in the commercial, hotels and leisure and healthcare sectors.
Jessica has extensive experience in advising leaders in the housing sector and acts for central government agencies, London Boroughs and also for clients such as council owned housing and development companies advising on new build and refurbishment of their housing stock. She also advises national contractors on complex construction contracts with local authorities.
Jessica’s work involves the drafting and negotiating of major construction, infrastructure and regeneration contracts including advising on JCT, PPC, NEC contracts, bespoke construction contracts, professional team appointments, collateral warranties, agreements for lease, development agreements, construction related elements of funding agreements and joint ventures, drafting and reviewing parent company guarantees, advance payment and performance bonds, framework agreements, consortium agreements, hub contracts, extensive and short form letters of intent, initial contracts and appointments and specialist sub-contracts.
She has particular expertise acting on complex mixed-use multi-phased regeneration schemes.
Jessica was previously Deputy Director of the Quantity Surveyors Division of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and served on the industry leading JCT Drafting Committee.
Jessica is also the Chair of Diversitas, an independent umbrella body launched by the Construction Industry Council with a goal to increase representation of black construction professionals at the highest level within CIC networks and the built environment.
Relevant experience
- London Borough of Hackney: Advising the Borough on its large mixed-use development social infrastructure project being procured over multiple phases over a 25 year period. Jessica is working closely with the Borough’s project team and is currently advising on Phase 2b (housing and infrastructure) having previously advised on Phases 1a – 1d (including a new state of the art leisure centre, secondary school and sixth form building and associated infrastructure) and Phase 2a (housing and infrastructure).
- Ashford Borough Council: Acting in connection with the redevelopment of the historic Newtown Works site into an International Film Studios complex, a key strategic project which will provide new purpose for circa 37,000m2 of Grade II listed buildings and surrounding land. Jessica’s advice included preparing and advising on an extensive Development Management Agreement to fit the corporate and financing structure and advising on the construction requirements for the JV Shareholders’ Agreement as well as on Consultants appointments, security documentation and collateral warranties.
- Development Company: Advising a council owned development company on a 20 year regeneration project involving significant Affordable Housing and Private Rented Sector residential accommodation as well as new commercial, hotel and leisure facilities and public realm regeneration. Jessica also advised this client on a major 7 year Framework Agreement for the provision of Digital and Building Safety Act compliant Operation and Maintenance and Health and Safety Files for housing projects.
- Construction and Engineering Consultancy: Advising a multi-disciplinary consultancy client on various matters including advising on a 9 year sub-consultancy agreement which required negotiation of a full NEC4 sub-consultancy agreement, using an adapted NEC4 Term Service Sub-Contract Agreement.
- Charitable trust: Acting for a leading London Borough’s charitable trust in connection with its major refurbishment works programme involving its landmark listed buildings which required extensive and complex works to be carried out and completed within tight site constraints and timeframes in view of the venue's high profile international programme of events.
