Partner - Auckland

Jessica Blythe

Jessica is trusted by government departments with some of their most complex prosecutions and other litigation.

Jessica is trusted by government departments with some of their most complex prosecutions and other litigation.

Jessica Blythe

About

Jessica is an expert in regulatory processes and enforcement, fraud investigation and prosecution, and health and safety law.

partner in Regulatory Compliance, Jessica leads a highly effective team of trusted and reliable litigators acting mainly for government agencies.

These include the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, WorkSafe New Zealand, the New Zealand Customs Service, the Department of Corrections and the Ministry for Primary Industries. 

Jessica conducts civil litigation and criminal prosecutions in the District and High Courts, and has experience before the Court of Appeal.

Recent Cases & Achievements

MSD v Filimoehala CRI-2022-090-002611

Acted for MSD in the prosecution and sentencing of Filimoehala for Covid-19 wage subsidy fraud, prosecuted under the Crimes Act.

R v Anihana [2022] NZDC 6857

Acted for NZ Companies Office and NZ Police in the prosecution and sentencing of Anihana for numerous breaches of the Companies Act 1993 and dishonesty offences under the Crimes Act 1961.

High risk offenders

Advised the Department of Corrections on the imposition of residential restrictions for some of the country’s most high-risk offenders, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Woods v Police [2020] NZSC 141.

Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme 

Advising the Ministry of Social Development on civil recovery of wage subsidy funds, and conducting prosecutions for wage subsidy fraud.

Credentials

Admitted as NZ Barrister and Solicitor, 2008

LLM, University of Toronto

LLB(Hons)/BA, University of Auckland