Matt Jacobs > DLA Piper LLP (US) > San Francisco, United States > Lawyer Profile

Matt Jacobs

+1 415 836 2530 matt.jacobs@dlapiper.com

Position

As a highly regarded former federal prosecutor, Matt Jacobs represents public company boards, audit committees, companies and executives in anti-corruption, fraud and related internal and government investigations. Matt also advises on due diligence and compliance matters and helps his clients navigate around and through issues that threaten their reputations and their business. Additionally, he serves as chair of DLA Piper’s Litigation practice in Northern California, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Sacramento.

Matt is widely recognized in complex white collar and cross-border investigations. He has been consistently ranked by Chambers; has been regularly recognized by Legal 500 for antitrust, dispute resolution, corporate defense and white collar criminal defense in the US and Latin America; is ranked top 100 by the National Trial Lawyers; has been listed by the Global Investigative Review; was one of LawDragon’s top 500 lawyers in America in 2021; and has been listed by San Francisco Magazine as a leading lawyer for more than 15 years running.

As a federal prosecutor in the Justice Department, Matt successfully co-led the prosecutions of Enron’s energy traders for their roles in the manipulation of California energy markets. He won an FBI Director’s Award for that work, and another Director’s Award for a first-of-its kind prosecution of a medical device manufacturer for deaths caused in the malfunction of a heart stent. Matt was based in the Northern District of California and served in the white collar and securities enforcement sections. In that capacity, Matt led a series of significant investigations and prosecutions in the securities, energy, healthcare, insurance and technology sectors and conducted a number of money laundering and cross-border investigations. He is an experienced trial lawyer who has tried more than a dozen cases to verdict.

For the last 17 years, Matt has been on the defense side and has served as lead counsel representing major technology companies as well as firms in the financial services, energy, heavy industry and healthcare sectors. Matt is particularly known for giving practical and strategic advice, and for his doggedness in fighting for his clients’ interests. Matt is skilled in handling antitrust (cartel) matters before US and foreign antitrust authorities, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations, financial fraud and whistleblower allegations.

Education

• J.D., Stanford Law School
  Order of the Coif; Editor of the Stanford Law Review
• M.S., Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism
• B.A., American University
  magna cum laude