Monthly Feature: Get to Know… Jessica Moller
May 31, 2018
From a very young age, Jessica Moller had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to be when she grew up. A gifted writer and avid reader, Jessica either wanted to be on stage or in the courtroom. While Jessica’s artistic expression regularly won her roles in musical theater and other productions at school and in the community, she ultimately chose to pursue a stable career that didn’t include waiting on tables between roles.
Today, Jessica is a management-side Labor and Employment attorney who primarily handles litigation matters relating to, among other things, issues of sexual harassment, discrimination and constitutional rights, either before administrative tribunals or the federal and state courts. She also often serves as an impartial investigator and regularly counsels employers on labor compliance issues and day-to-day personnel matters. Jessica has earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues and clients for her judgement, attention to detail, zealous representation in litigation, and her pragmatic approach and advice.
Her clients attest that Jessica is extremely thorough, caring and dedicated in her work. “She manages personalities well and can say what needs to be said to those in a position of authority,” said one longtime client. “Because of her precision and investigative and writing skills, she’s won extremely tough cases. She can readily dissect the information in harassment investigations in very involved accusations. Employees respond well to her and don’t feel threatened. She gets people to talk in situations where they may not want to and keeps them feeling comfortable so that they can speak freely, and help her get what she needs.”
Jessica first expected to practice criminal law as a prosecutor but after two internships—one with the Albany County District Attorney’s office and the other with the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York—she confirmed her love for law, but also that criminal law was not for her.
Jessica found her Kismet during a summer internship with Bond’s Garden City office. “I got great exposure to the practice of labor and employment law and so enjoyed it that in my last year of law school, I took several classes relating to that practice.” Bond offered Jessica an associate position upon graduation, and she has been with Bond ever since. She was promoted to member in 2016. “I like the research and the challenge of writing a persuasive narrative that presents the facts; both good and bad, in the best light for my client within an applicable legal framework. Every case presents a new challenge; no two cases are alike.”
Lou DiLorenzo, managing member of Bond’s New York City office, is a fan. “For over 12 years, I have done two jury trials, attended mediations, worked on extensive motions and conducted discovery and depositions with Jessica. She has all the right moves and can run at varying speeds, whatever the best interests of the clients demand. All cases, clients, plaintiffs, facts and judges are different and Jessica consistently gets great results through means that reflect the client's goals and desires and the demands of the case. She has that extraordinary ability to adapt, decide, strategize, communicate and execute the client's plan.”
Jessica serves on Bond’s Diversity Committee and Women’ Initiative and has played an integral part in the firm’s ongoing efforts to support female and minority attorneys at the firm and in the profession. She has mentored several younger attorneys at the early stages of their careers and recently helped to coordinate a retreat for Bond’s female attorneys in an effort to foster mentorship, sponsorship and overall professional success. Jessica is also member of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, is the current president of the Nassau County Women’s Bar Foundation, and is an active member and past officer of the Nassau County Women’s Bar Association. She proudly supports and actively participates with the Long Island Chapter of Dress for Success, the Mary Brennan INN, Alzheimer’s Association, Ronald McDonald House, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, among other worthy causes.
A self-described homebody, when Jessica is not working or volunteering, she can often be found in her garden, reading Jane Austen or historical fiction, working with her husband renovating and restoring their early 19th century house, or boating or kayaking in the summer months.
