Melanie Jacques
Partner
Melanie Jacques is a partner in the international department.
Melanie Jacques is a partner specialising in international human rights claims and corporate liability cases, with a particular focus on gender and sexual violence claims and claims arising out of war and armed conflict.
Legal expertise
In recent years, Melanie has successfully represented female tea plantation workers in several claims for compensation arising out of serious allegations of sexual assaults and/or sexual harassment sustained in the course of their employment at plantations owned by British companies.
- One group claim, against Camellia Plc and others, resulted in an innovative settlement in February 2021, which included compensation for the claimants and the establishment of a range of restorative justice measures designed to improve the safety and security of female employees and improve conditions for women in the wider community.
- Another case, brought in the English courts by 31 Malawian women against PGI Group Ltd alleging sexual harassment and gender-based violence during the course of their employment at a subsidiary undertaking, settled out of court on a confidential basis without admission of liability.
- She recently acted in a claim against Unilever Plc on behalf of a group of 79 Kenyan women who alleged that they experienced sexual harassment and gender-based violence during their employment on Kenyan tea estates, owned at the time by Unilever Plc. The parties entered into a confidential settlement agreement, pursuant to which they agreed to settle the claims.
Melanie has extensive experience in multi-party action claims, including a large group claim on behalf of around 30,000 nationals of Cote d’Ivoire against the oil trading company, Trafigura, and a group action against Shell on behalf of a fishing community in the Niger Delta who suffered the environmental and economic impacts of two substantial oil spills in 2008.
Melanie is acting on behalf of owners of BMW and VW vehicles over allegations that certain diesel vehicles were fitted with unlawful ‘defeat devices’ in order to cheat emissions tests.
Since 2012, Melanie has assisted partner Sapna Malik on a number of high-profile actions against the British government, including the Iraqi Civilian Litigation on behalf of hundreds of Iraqi nationals against the British Ministry of Defence for their alleged unlawful detention and/or mistreatment by British Forces in Iraq (Alseran and Ors v Ministry of Defence) and a civil claim against the UK security Services on behalf of a former Libyan dissident and his pregnant wife, illegally rendered to Gaddafi’s Libya in 2004 (Belhaj and Anor v Straw and Ors).
Melanie has a PhD in international humanitarian law. Her book, “Armed conflict and displacement: the protection of refugees and displaced persons under international humanitarian law” was published by Cambridge University Press in 2012.
Prior to joining Leigh Day, Melanie was a visiting research fellow and teaching associate at Queen Mary, University of London, where she taught public international law and international law of armed conflict.
Mel Jacques is a stand-out new partner.
Legal 500
News
Women claim systemic sex abuse on tea plantations owned by British brand suppliers
Women who work on southern Malawi plantations that supply well known tea brands are suing their employer Lujeri and its British parent company PGI over allegations of systemic sexual harassment including rape, assault and discrimination.
Leigh Day settles claims against the Camellia Group arising out of rape and other forms of gender-based violence on Malawian tea estates
High Court finds MoD breached the Geneva Conventions during the Iraq War
A High Court judge today ruled the MoD unlawfully detained civilians during the Iraq war, breaching the Human Rights Act and the Geneva Conventions
Read Melanie's blogs
The British Armed Forces need a culture change towards women
International team lawyer Melanie Jacques says a radical change in attitudes towards women is needed in the British military, at home and overseas.
The role of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in protecting the most vulnerable: Operational Grievance Mechanisms for women in agribusiness
Melanie Jacques and Sarah Gibbons begin the International Day of Violence Against Women series with a focus on violence against women in the agricultural sector. They discuss the role of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as a tool for developing effective Operational Grievance Mechanisms as a means by which women can raise concerns and complaints about the human rights impacts of the operations in which they work.
What responsibilities do companies have to prevent sexual violence & harassment on their plantations?
Melanie Jacques and Louise Williams consider what can be done to protect workers from sexual violence and harassment on plantations around the world.