Jessica Hancock

Jessica is an Associate in our corporate and commercial disputes team based in our Manchester office. Jessica deals with a wide range of complex corporate and commercial disputes. She advises on contractual claims (including breach of contract claims), corporate and shareholder disputes (including unfair prejudice petitions and breach of directors duties), fraud claims, restraint of trade matters (including employee restrictive covenants), property disputes and construction disputes.

Jessica has considerable experience of proceedings in various divisions of the High Court, including the King’s Bench Division, Chancery Division and Business and Property Courts.  She has assisted on a number of injunctions (acting for both applicant and respondent) and has successfully helped to secure interlocutory freezing and proprietary orders.

She also has extensive experience in large, multi-jurisdictional, disclosure exercises and is proficient in the use of e-disclosure platforms, including Relativity.

Jessica also has specialist expertise in disputed wills trusts and estates. She is an associate member of The Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists. She regularly advises trustees, beneficiaries and executors in regard to contentious matters including but not limited to will validity claims and claims involving the administration of estates. She seeks to resolves matters where possible by utilizing tools in the non-contentious probate rules to achieve the desired outcome without the need for lengthy and protracted litigation.

Notable cases

DR Jones Yeovil Ltd v Drayton Beaumont Services Ltd [2021] EWHC 1971 (TCC)) — Jessica assisted in advising a Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Subcontractor in litigation in the Technology and Construction Court. The case clarified the approach to amendments to statements of case where there is a reasonably arguable limitation defence to the entirety of a new cause of action sought to be introduced.