Experienced former DOJ prosecutor Matthew Jacobs and investigations lawyer Jessica Heim join DLA Piper’s Litigation practice in Northern California
DLA Piper announced today that former federal prosecutor Matthew Jacobs and Jessica Heim have joined the firm’s Litigation practice as partners in Northern California, based in the San Francisco office. Jacobs will also serve as head of the firm’s Northern California Litigation practice.
A former federal prosecutor in the Northern District of California with more than 25 years of experience, Jacobs is well recognized for his experience in internal investigations, government investigations and white collar matters of all kinds, as well as complex commercial litigation. Ranked in California by Chambers and Partners in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigation, he has a national and international practice representing companies and executives in high-stakes matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), antitrust, trade secrets, healthcare and commercial disputes, including IP litigation and consumer class actions.
In her practice, Heim advises clients on complex legal issues, including internal and government investigations, criminal price-fixing, violations of securities laws, whistleblower complaints and compliance design challenges, as well as trade secrets, data privacy and cybersecurity matters. She has experience working with a wide range of government entities, including state attorneys general, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Commerce Department, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
“Matt and Jessica are established and highly respected practitioners in San Francisco and the Bay Area, and their addition significantly enhances our white collar and investigations capabilities in California, as well as nationally and internationally,” said Loren Brown, DLA Piper’s US vice chair and chair of the Disputes practice. “Matt is a seasoned trial lawyer who has tried more than a dozen criminal and civil cases to verdict, including high-profile ‘bet-the-company’ cases, and Jessica’s extensive experience in data privacy and cybersecurity issues will be exceptionally valuable to our clients. Our Northern California litigators work on some of the region’s most cutting-edge matters for technology, life sciences and other clients whose legal needs require a high-level understanding of these issues — adding Matt to our leadership team will only make us stronger.”
“Matt and Jessica are among the best in the white-collar and investigations bar. They bring tremendous skill in conducting internal investigations, providing practical and actionable advice to companies and boards of directors in the midst of investigations and crafting tailored compliance programs,” said Jeff Tsai, managing partner of DLA Piper’s San Francisco office and co-chair of the firm’s State Attorneys General practice. “Matt’s background as a former federal prosecutor, combined with his wide-ranging experience in criminal and civil defense matters, gives him a well-rounded approach to guiding clients through investigations and litigation alike. They will become key players for our Northern California clients.”
Jacobs and Heim join from Vinson & Elkins, where Jacobs served as managing partner of the firm’s San Francisco office and co-head of the White Collar group.
