Jessica Dawson-Field is an employment lawyer in Maurice Blackburn’s Melbourne office. She helps employees navigate a wide range of employment-related issues throughout their working life and is listed by the prestigious Doyles Guide as part of the only first tier law firm for employee & trade union representation in Victoria in 2017.

Jessica joined Maurice Blackburn in 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor, and was admitted to practice in 2014. Before joining the firm, Jessica gained experience working in an employment and commercial litigation team for a top tier commercial firm, as well as a union. She was also a Student Research Fellow at the Centre of Employment and Labour Relations Law at the University of Melbourne.

Jessica has significant skills in negotiation, drafting, dispute resolution, representing clients at the Fair Work Commission and research. Her significant achievements include:

• instructing at the Fair Work Commission in two cases where an employee was reinstated after being unfairly dismissed
• assisting an application to the Federal Court resulting in the appointment of a union official as the representative of employees in an insolvency situation
• negotiating favourable exit packages for employees in circumstances of redundancy and discrimination, and
• assisting in an urgent injunction application to restrain an employer from terminating an employee.

Jessica is driven to protect the rights of working people.

“I enjoy working with our clients to navigate what are often complex and difficult situations and achieve a positive outcome,” says Jessica.

“As a consequence of the power disparity between employees and employers, employees and unions are at a constant disadvantage. I decided to practice in this area of law so that I could work to address this imbalance and protect the rights of working people.

“I am a committed and hard-working lawyer with excellent research and drafting skills. I am empathetic to the challenges experienced by my clients and endeavour to resolve their legal matters in an efficient and effective manner. I understand the importance of people’s work to their identity and dignity and have a commitment to social justice and the values of Maurice Blackburn.”

Jessica has volunteered at the Western Community Legal Centre and Women’s Legal Service Victoria, and she is the Vice President of the Young Workers Centre Committee of Management at Trades Hall and the Co-Chair of Victorian Women Lawyers Justice Committee.

Accreditations and memberships

• Law Institute of Victoria member
• Victorian Women Lawyers member
• VWL Justice Committee co-chair
• Young Workers Centre Committee of Management Vice President