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“No matter how many clients I have, I make sure to call each one personally every quarter. It’s a chance to not only update them on their portfolio, but also check on how they’re doing personally”
Kelvin Rampersad,
Carte Wealth Management
A thought leader in the construction industry, Jessica Rippon continues to dominate in a male-dominated industry. As founder of Construction Legal, she drives new industry reforms through her role on the ministerial advisory panel to the NSW Building Commission. The firm has also made it its mission to help educate construction companies, developers and smaller builders on new legislation.
“The construction industry is currently undergoing seismic change and daunting challenges,” says Rippon. “It’s a hard time to build anything – not just due to supply chain issues or skilled labour shortages, but also navigating new government regulations.”
Rippon has been in the industry for over two decades. Upon graduating from the University of Melbourne with a master’s degree in construction law, she joined Corrs Chambers Westgarth in Sydney in 2004. After 10 years at the firm, Rippon moved to Deicorp as general counsel before leaving in May 2018 to establish Construction Legal.
She says, “I launched the firm with the aim of disrupting legal services in the construction industry. Putting yourself out there is a scary move, but I knew that our offering – which is a synergistic combination of top-tier legal experience with on-the-ground engineering expertise in major construction projects – was truly unique.”
And that gamble has paid off. The firm has enjoyed incredible success.
Rippon says, “I see firsthand how much our clients value our point of difference. However, one of the things I am most proud of is helping drive reform within the industry. I always try to look at problems in a new light or from a different angle. For example, in the past, law firms servicing the construction industry would always have to hire expensive engineering consultants to advise on contractual disputes. Even then, those same law firms never truly understood how major construction projects are tendered, much less managed or delivered.
“In seeing that flaw play out time and time again during disputes, it led me to realise a law firm that services the construction industry must have people who have genuine lived, on-the-ground experience in engineering and managing big builds.”
Rippon was at the helm of two major reforms: the legislation of mandatory decennial liability insurance and developing iCIRT, a rigorous building standards accreditation system.
“Both reforms are already changing the construction industry for the better and helping to protect consumers from dodgy developers,” she says. “Being able to not only inspire, shape and advise on how they were legislated has been incredibly gratifying.”
As a successful woman in the construction industry, Rippon had to overcome structural hurdles.
She says, “Put it this way – when you’ve got a global construction consortium headed by a bunch of men, then a plucky young law firm fronted by a woman can seem like a risky proposition. And if there’s one thing they loathe, it’s risk. Hence, the prevailing wisdom is to turn to a traditional, big-name firm with male lawyers – guys who look like them and grey hair and expensive suits. In my case, navigating that sort of conservative thinking and built-in biases has demanded both resilience and a strategic vision.
“But it’s my ardent belief that overcoming old ways of doing things, changing rusted-on opinions and proactively pursuing reform is ultimately how you change perceptions and drive positive change in our field.”
Level 14, 111 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
02 8591 9132
jrippon@constructionlegal.com.au
linkedin.com/in/jessica-rippon-974009136
constructionlegal.com.au
Jessica Rippon
Principal and Director
Construction Legal
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“I strongly believe in working smarter, not harder. I think it’s one of the keys to living a great life, and I want to share that with as many people as possible”
Kelvin Rampersad,
Carte Wealth Management
2018
2021
2023
2024
2024
Founded Construction Legal
2018
Australian Financial Review’s Fast Starters List
Appointed on the NSW Government’s Ministerial Advisory Panel for Decennial Liability Insurance
2021
Winner Top 100 Women in Construction
Winner Chinese Building Association Service Member of the Year
Finalist Lawyers Weekly Thought Leader of the Year
Finalist NAWIC Businesswomen of the Year
2023
Appointed on to the UDIA Building Regulations Committee for building reform
Winner UDIA’s Women in Leadership
Winner Australasian Lawyer’s Boutique Law Firm
Winner Australasian Lawyer’s Top Law Firm
Winner Australasian Lawyer’s Elite Woman
2024
Appointed to the Building Regulations Committee
Australasian Lawyer’s Boutique Law Firm
Australasian Lawyer’s Top Law Firm
Australasian Lawyer’s Elite Woman
UDIA’s Women in Leadership winner
2024
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
Milestones
ELITE WOMEN 2024 JUDGE