Jessica Clay > Kingsley Napley LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Jessica Clay

+44 (0)20 3535 1708 jclay@kingsleynapley.co.uk View profile View profile

Work Department

Regulatory

Position

Partner

Career

Jessica is a partner in the legal services regulatory team. Jessica has a substantial practice advising law firms, including magic circle, global and boutique law firms, as well as partners and others working within firms and lawyers working in-house.

Jessica also advises alternative legal services providers. She advises on a range of SRA-related matters, including authorisation and changes to business structures, reporting obligations, compliance and ethical standards, with a focus on matters relating to counter-inclusive behaviours and how these impact law firm culture. Jessica has recently advised firms and individuals in respect of allegations relating to AML and counter-inclusive conduct, including sexual misconduct, which are being investigated by the SRA.

Having worked for a legal services regulator in the General Counsel team and providing advice to colleagues handling complex disciplinary cases, Jessica understands first-hand, how allegations are considered and on what basis decisions are made. This provides a unique and valuable insight to her clients, enabling her to better understand the full range of regulatory outcomes and the ones more likely to be imposed, as well as thinking of other creative solutions leading to the resolution of cases. Jessica is known for having an eagle eye for detail but never losing sight of the bigger picture for her clients. She will consider all the options available and will seek to obtain the best outcomes she can for clients, at the earliest possible opportunity.

Jessica regularly advises regulators in the legal sector and beyond, where she provides policy and strategy, regulatory reform, governance and litigation advice and advises on extensive drafting projects, as well as delivering training on focus areas.

Jessica’s early legal regulatory career was spent in private practice, before moving in-house, first at the Legal Services Board (LSB) and then at the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Jessica joined Kingsley Napley in July 2019. Having worked both in private practice and in-house, gaining experience both in prosecution and defence, ensures that she is ideally placed to advise regulated professionals on how a regulator may view alleged conduct, what action may follow, and how best to defend any allegation.

As a recognised expert in her field, Jessica regularly speaks at events and on panels, including for The Law Society, IP Inclusive, LawCare and at our Spotlight Thought Leadership Series, as well as writing in journals and other publications. She is Deputy Editor of the leading textbook on legal services regulation, Cordery on Legal Services and has recently been appointed as the Diversity and Inclusion Officer to the Regulations of Lawyer’s Compliance Committee for the International Bar Association.

Languages

English

Memberships

• Law Society of England and Wales
• Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL)
• Association of Partnership Practitioners (APP)
• City of London Solicitors’ Company
• International Bar Association (IBA)
• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (APRL)