Brian A. Jacobs is a former federal prosecutor who now represents individuals and organizations in criminal, civil, and regulatory cases, as well as in internal investigations, employment disputes, and appeals. His practice covers a broad range of matters, including financial fraud, insider trading, antitrust violations, bribery, corruption, hacking, and trade secret theft. Brian’s clients include public companies, banks, brokerage firms, investment funds, and their senior executives, including CEOs and CFOs.
Before entering private practice, Brian served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he was Deputy Chief of Appeals. During his six and a half years there, he led numerous investigations and prosecutions involving bank fraud, securities fraud, public corruption, money laundering, and cybercrime. He has successfully conducted multiple high-profile jury trials and argued over 20 appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. As Deputy Chief of Appeals, he co-authored briefs and supervised arguments in more than 50 additional appellate cases.
Brian has been recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations. He is praised for his intelligence, judgment, and legal acumen. Benchmark Litigation has recognized him as a “Future Star,” describing him as a highly skilled and creative attorney who handles complex cases with excellence. Who’s Who Legal has also named him a Future Leader in Investigations, noting his expertise.
In addition to his practice, Brian has been honored with a Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing. He is a co-author of chapters on insider trading and securities fraud in the treatise White Collar Crime: Business and Regulatory Offenses, and has contributed to several legal publications, including The Insider Blog on Forbes.com. He has also served on Law360’s white collar editorial advisory board.
Brian is an active member of the New York City Bar Association’s Criminal Advocacy Committee and the Mass Incarceration Task Force, and he represents indigent defendants in federal criminal appeals as part of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Second Circuit. Earlier in his career, Brian clerked for the Honorable Amalya L. Kearse of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Honorable Jed S. Rakoff of the Southern District of New York. He holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar and received several academic prizes. He earned his B.A. from Yale College, cum laude, with distinction in English.
