Partner Jeff Jacobson focuses his practice on the defense of consumer, privacy and securities class actions, as well as representing media, technology, and other companies in general commercial litigation. With nearly two decades of experience in private practice, plus two years of recent service at the highest levels of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Jacobson helps clients resolve and minimize the reputational damage and business interruptions that can arise from litigation, including costly class actions. He also has considerable experience managing the electronic discovery challenges presented by complex litigation and investigative matters.

During his 2015-16 tenure as Chief Counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General, Mr. Jacobson oversaw law enforcement investigations involving consumer protection and data privacy and chaired the Attorney General’s Cyber Working Group. He rose to the position of Chief Counsel after serving in 2014-15 as the Director of the Division of Law at the New Jersey’s Attorney General’s office, overseeing more than 500 lawyers who represent all agencies of state government in defensive and affirmative litigation. In both positions, Mr. Jacobson personally handled some of the State’s highest-profile cases in state and federal court.

With the distinction of having chaired both the prosecution and defense of national class action cases, Mr. Jacobson provides clients the benefit of a multifaceted and strategic perspective of litigation. He has defended consumer fraud and privacy-related class actions for media, electronics, and consumer products companies, and he has defended securities class actions for U.S.-based and foreign private issuers in federal and state trial and appellate courts. Mr. Jacobson is recommended by US Legal 500 for Data Protection and Privacy and Securities Litigation and recognized as a Securities Litigation “Star” in the IFLR Benchmark Litigation Guide.

Because class actions can become costly and extended distractions, Mr. Jacobson strives to conclude a matter in his client’s favor as quickly and inexpensively as possible. This may mean moving the court to deny class certification at the earliest stage of a case, seeking quick summary judgment on key issues underlying the class motion, or devising a settlement that costs less than litigating the case. In matters requiring extensive discovery, Mr. Jacobson focuses on avoiding unnecessary tasks and minimizing vendor costs. He has written extensively on class action defense and e-discovery strategies for the New York Law Journal, Class Action Litigation Report, Product Liability Law 360, and other publications. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists and served on a New Jersey Supreme Court task force to assess attorney ethics issues arising from metadata in electronic documents.