A plug-and-jack for use with an electronic device that is configured to ensure circuitry of the device is protected from electrostatic discharge. In one case, the jack is an audio jack designed to protect high gain circuitry of the device against electrostatic discharge from the leads of an audio plug. The jack includes a mechanical switch that only connects the high gain circuitry to the appropriate portion of the audio plug once the audio plug is fully inserted. At the same time, the mechanical switch also connects the high gain circuitry and corresponding portion of the audio plug to an electrostatic discharge circuit.