Jolan Draaisma

Jolan Draaisma is Special Counsel and leads our Sydney office, bringing over 13 years of continuous experience in litigation. She represents a diverse range of clients including patients, hospitals, general practice clinics, and health professionals in matters such as clinical negligence claims, criminal proceedings, inquests, and professional disciplinary cases. Jolan began her career with Collaery Lawyers, where she gained a strong foundation in civil litigation before focusing on significant medical negligence claims. During her time there, she secured multimillion-dollar awards in cerebral palsy cases and appeared as Counsel in the High Court of Australia concerning the Canberra bushfire litigation. In 2009, Jolan expanded her expertise internationally when she was appointed as in-house counsel at the London office of the largest private hospital group in the United States. In this capacity, she provided legal advice on all litigation matters affecting the company’s operations, including private hospitals, GP clinics, outpatient clinics, and partnerships with NHS foundation trusts. Jolan’s experience encompasses a wide array of healthcare-related legal issues, including anti-corruption and money laundering compliance, clinical trials, complaints management, coroner’s inquests, cosmetic and general surgery claims, data protection, hospital-acquired infections, human fertilisation and embryology, medical devices, obstetric and orthopaedic claims, professional discipline, safeguarding vulnerable individuals, policy development, treatment of patients lacking mental capacity, and withdrawal of life-saving treatment. Her litigation portfolio features complex and high-value civil claims and inquests, such as infant meningitis cases valued at $4 million and £9 million, paediatric hypoxic birth claims of $6 million and $7 million, a £6 million IVF wrongful birth claim, MRSA infection cases exceeding £9 million and £12 million, and an inquest into a nurse’s death following a hoax hospital call. In 2014, Jolan returned to Collaery Lawyers to join the international law team, representing Timor-Leste in arbitration under the Timor Sea Treaty administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. She also appeared as Counsel before the International Court of Justice in The Hague in a case concerning the seizure and detention of documents by the Australian Secret Service. Currently heading our Sydney office, Jolan is recognised as a determined litigator who is deeply committed to achieving the best outcomes for her clients.