Overview
Jessica M. "Jessie" Brown is an attorney in the firm's West Coast Litigation Group. Ms. Brown's practice focuses on regulatory compliance and strategic governance initiatives. She is licensed in California and Alaska but represents clients in federal courts and before regulatory bodies nationwide. Her Alaska practice is particularly robust in highly regulated industry sectors, including alcohol beverage, mining, telecommunication, healthcare, maritime and oil and gas.
Ms. Brown's practice primarily serves the alcohol beverage and food industry sectors. In this space, she counsels clients on federal and state regulatory compliance, including alcohol and tobacco licensing, product labeling, and e-commerce and marketplace facilitator developments. Ms. Brown regularly defends clients facing regulatory investigation and enforcement, as well as claims of false or deceptive labeling or advertising. Most recently, her consumer class action practice involves defending distilled spirits manufacturers – tequila, gin, vodka, among others – as well as creators of all-natural or organic food stuffs, teas or dietary supplements. She has developed special proficiency in appellation of origin cases involving foreign-made products, and the foreign law that governs them.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Brown clerked for the Honorable Craig F. Stowers of the Alaska Supreme Court and the Honorable Susan Y. Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. While in law school, she externed for the Honorable Ming W. Chin of the Supreme Court of California, as well as for the French-speaking appellate chambers of the Honorable Mehmet Güney of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
Representative Experience
- Represent national chain retailers in successful merger, acquisition and joint venture endeavors that require obtaining, transferring or maintaining alcohol, tobacco, health, environmental or other operational licenses
- Represent international alcohol beverage manufacturing clients in class action pre-litigation negotiations concerning false advertising allegations; litigate these matters to successful resolution
- Represent national chain convenience store clients in administrative enforcement actions and pre-litigation risk avoidance strategies, including for regulatory compliance, labeling or alleged false advertising matters
- Represent national retailers in regulatory compliance as it pertains to marketplace facilitator (MPF) contracts and ancillary Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) and sales tax issues
- Represent most alcohol retailers, hotels, recreation lodges, restaurants, gas stations, wholesale suppliers, airport purveyors and cruise ships in successful initiation or buy-sell licensing transactions, renewal applications and entity change of form issues in Alaska
- Represented an Alaska Native Corporate client in a pre-litigation telecommunication matter concerning implementation of a government contract and award
- Seconded to a subsidiary of an Alaska Native Corporate client to monitor and advise on ongoing rate litigation in the oil and gas industry
- Represent Alaska's adventure lodges and ski resorts in real estate, regulatory and corporate compliance issues, including alcohol licensing matters
- Represented a crude oil supplier in a state regulatory matter concerning its spill contingency plan
- Represented vessel owners in a regulatory action before the U.S. Maritime Administration
Appellate
- Represented a federally recognized Indian Tribe in a precedent-setting Native American law matter before the Alaska Supreme Court that resulted in full vacatur and remand in favor of client
- Represented a mining group in agency actions, as well as trial and appellate litigation, to successfully quiet title to claims in dispute
Business
- Advised California’s largest public healthcare district on an innovative structural reorganization to partner with a newly created nonprofit management services organization
- Represent a California healthcare provider in ongoing governance compliance and board dispute resolution matters
- Represented a California healthcare provider in a hospital services agreement and claims dispute in arbitration and litigation
- Represented one of the oldest affinity insurance providers in California in a complex shareholder dispute that achieved favorable outcomes for the client
- Represented one of the largest online trademark filing services in the country against state and federal unfair competition claims
Credentials
- Golden Gate University School of Law, J.D., with honors
- Graduate Theological Union, M.A., Ethics
- Barnard College, Columbia University, B.A., cum laude
- Alaska
- California
- All State Courts in Alaska
- All State Courts in California
- U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- National Association of Licensing and Compliance Professionals (NALCP)
- National Association of Alcohol Beverage Attorneys (NAABLA)
- Alaska Bar Association, Pro Bono Service Committee
- Alaska Bar Association, Law Examiners Committee
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, San Francisco Appellate Practice Ones to Watch; San Francisco Commercial Litigation Ones to Watch, 2025
- Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star Award, 2017-2023
- Roger J. Traynor California Moot Court Competition, Excellence in Appellate Advocacy Award (First-Place Team); Best Brief Award (First-Place Team); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Oral Argument, 2013
- English
- French