Jessica E. Bainbridge

When someone hears Jessica say that she has a “strictly colored Google calendar” she thinks that people automatically assume she has a high level of stress. “They always look at me so concerned,” she laughed. “I don’t love calendars for the thrill of it. Spending time with others, spending time with myself, being present and connected in the important moments, it takes a lot of planning.” Born in Toledo, Ohio to a long line of attorneys, including her mom, dad, and grandfather, Jessica witnessed the harmony between planning and presence long before she became an attorney. “My parents always made time for me, and somehow they managed to make a lot of time for the people around us.” Jessica reminisced, “When I was a kid, my mom would block out time for parents or friends who needed legal advice. She would tell them what to do or who to go to for help in the community, and she never did it begrudgingly, she genuinely wanted to help. It inspired me.” Beyond her early years, Jessica involved herself in all sorts of physical activities. Whether it was the swim team, tennis, or her high school rowing team, Jessica loved to be outside and started to feel the same sense of being present she found with others within herself. “I feel like that time is just for me,” Jessica stated adamantly, “I’m much busier than I was in high school but I try to make time to run every day. It’s a sort of meditation, to remind me I have to take care of myself too.” Through several years of practicing self-presence on the courts and the pools of her teenage years, Jessica found herself in a position to learn how to better her presence and connections with others. However, her boss at her part-time summer lifeguarding job, was not the person she thought would hammer those lessons home. “I never thought it was strange to like your boss, but I never thought I would become best friends with any of them!” she said with a laugh. Jessica’s boss, much like the other familial role models in her life, was studying to practice law. Nonetheless, he was studying at the Ohio State University, a university Jessica was heavily considering at the time. The summer after her senior year, much to her boss and family’s collective delight, Jessica opted to attend the Ohio State University for her Bachelor’s degree where she majored in finance and minored in economics, with the goal of attending law school post-graduation. After several years of volunteering in her local community, an incredible internship opportunity abroad in New Zealand, and an internship in Australia, Jessica graduated from the Ohio State University and attended the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University. It was during her time there that Jessica learned of Bricker Graydon. “I had a friend who had interned for them, so I had a connection,” said Jessica, “And I’m really glad I did, I was really impressed with everyone who worked there. The way they placed so much respect and admiration on me, one another, and their clients. Not every firm has such a strong sense of community. I knew I had to be there.” Today, Jessica works and lives in Columbus, Ohio where she practices general litigation with Bricker Graydon. Outside of updating her strictly color-coded Google calendar, Jessica enjoys cooking, spending time with friends and family, running, and spending lots of time outside. Though don’t ask her to go camping, she knows we invented beds for a reason. When asked for advice to give to those seeking the kind of success she achieved, Jessica is quick to point to an object in her apartment. “I have a poem framed in my apartment,” Jessica said, “The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. There’s a lot that can be said about that poem, but whenever I see it, it gives me comfort. Comfort that my path led me to the right place here at Bricker Graydon to help serve the community. So I would say to trust the paths you follow because so long as you work hard and you’re kind, your path will lead you to great places.”