Nicola Jackson
Nicola is an experienced competition, consumer and regulatory lawyer, primarily advising clients on merger clearances, regulatory investigations and complex economic regulatory and access issues.
Nicola has specialist experience as a competition and regulatory lawyer, having worked at top tier firms in Melbourne and as a senior lawyer in house at Telstra, making her highly skilled in working collaboratively with in house teams and Executives to efficiently resolve issues and manage strategic regulatory engagement.
Nicola advises clients across a broad range of heavily regulated industries including energy, telecommunications, infrastructure (airports, water, transport), healthcare and financial services. She has advised clients on regulatory engagement with and investigations by the ACCC, the AER and ASIC. She has particularly deep expertise in telecommunications, having advised extensively on the Telecommunications Act and its related legislation and has a deep understanding of the Australian telecommunications regulatory framework, having acted on some of the largest telecommunications transactions, including advising Telstra in relation to its recent restructure and transactions involving the nbn.
Nicola advises on the full range of competition and consumer law issues including the competition law and regulatory implications of complex projects, product launches and proposed pricing and distribution strategies.
Experience & capabilities
Selected matters
Energy
- advising a range of gas infrastructure and asset owners on prospective acquisitions, recent AER regulatory investigations, AER exemption applications and the application of complex regulation to their infrastructure assets under the NGR, NGL and associated guidelines*
- advising gas retailers on anticipated regulatory commitments that may be required for potential acquisitions and electricity retailers on competition law issues associated with proposed pricing and distribution models and ring-fencing obligations*
Telecommunications
- advised Telstra on its recent corporate restructure, including the application of legislation to the Telstra group post restructure*
- advising Telstra in relation to nbn’s 2023 variation to its Special Access Undertaking and in relation to nbn’s wholesale broadband agreement*
- Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets Management and Aware Super on the $3.5 billion acquisition of the Vocus Group*
Infrastructure
- advising a potential major offtaker of a major proposed new water infrastructure project on regulatory issues (including potential economic regulation and access issues)
- advising a leading infrastructure operator on the competition and regulatory considerations shaping its commercial strategy for freight handling facilities, including implications for future service models and stakeholder engagement
Home healthcare and allied health
- advised Australian Unity on the acquisitions of Plena Healthcare ($70 million) and myHomecare Group ($285 million)*
* experience gained prior to joining the firm
Background
Nicola recently joined Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer in September 2025.
Nicola has a Master of Laws (Commercial) with a Competition law / antitrust focus from the University of Melbourne, a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) from the Australian National University.
She was admitted to the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in 2007.
