Marc Jacob

Dr Marc Jacob LL.M.

Partner
His advocacy skills are unparalleled…one of the most astute and quick-witted advocates I have encountered.
— Lexology 2026 (“Highly Recommended”)
LondonFrankfurt
About

Marc Jacob acts as lead counsel for multinational corporations, financial institutions, and sovereign states in complex cross-border disputes. His practice spans international arbitration, commercial litigation and public international law.

Marc leads international commercial arbitrations and investment treaty disputes and represents clients in high-value commercial litigation before national courts. He regularly acts in proceedings under the ICSID, ICC, LCIA, SCC, UNCITRAL and DIS Rules, advising clients from initial strategy through final hearing, award or judgment, and enforcement.

Clients comment that Marc’s “exceptional legal acumen and dedication” were “instrumental to our case” and that he “leads with clarity and confidence in complex, cross-border disputes.” The market calls him an “articulate, incisive and incredibly effective advocate.”

His work frequently involves cross-border investments, sovereign and regulatory measures, energy and infrastructure projects, financial services, life sciences and multi-layered international commercial relationships. He has acted for sovereign states such as the Netherlands, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Croatia, and for investors and award creditors in treaty and enforcement proceedings.

Dual-qualified in England & Wales and Germany, Marc regularly acts across jurisdictions and legal traditions. He is also appointed as arbitrator in international commercial disputes.

Areas of FocusLitigation, Arbitration and InvestigationsRegulatory and Government AffairsEnergy and Natural ResourcesIndustrialsInfrastructure, Construction and TransportLife SciencesInternational Arbitration
Professional QualificationsBarrister in England and WalesRechtsanwalt admitted with Rechtsanwaltskammer Frankfurt am Main

EXPERIENCE

Investment treaty arbitration for sovereigns and investors

  • The Netherlands in BIT / UNCITRAL arbitration against a Middle Eastern exploration and production company
  • Ukraine in BIT / SCC arbitration against a Russian state development corporation
  • Lithuania in BIT / ICSID arbitration brought by a multinational group in relation to heat and power generation systems
  • China in BIT / ICSID arbitration against a European investor in the consumer goods sector
  • Croatia in BIT / ICSID arbitration against an Austrian investor in relation to real estate and post-Socialist property transformation
  • UK bank in a BIT dispute against a West Asian government concerning the expropriation of commercial real estate assets
  • Global investment firm headquartered in North America regarding BIT protection for infrastructure and energy investments in the Middle East
  • European bank and a major European industrial company regarding BIT / ECT protection, sanctions and procedural recourse against a CIS state
  • Globally active investor in several BIT / UNCITRAL arbitrations concerning industrial plants in CEE
  • State-owned energy company of a former Soviet Republic in a BIT dispute against a CIS state
  • Energy investors and award creditors regarding recognition and enforcement of an ECT / UNCITRAL award

International commercial arbitration and litigation

  • US / European joint venture in ICC arbitration against a multinational chemicals company
  • European specialty chemicals company in DIS arbitration against an African company
  • Middle Eastern company in ICC arbitration in Doha against a state-owned energy giant, arising from a long-term gas supply agreement
  • US energy and services corporation in multiple disputes concerning equipment manufacturing and global hedging services
  • Leading chemical producer in ad hoc arbitration and state court proceedings against a multinational petrochemical trading group
  • Leading multinational healthcare company in ICC arbitration against a European life sciences company
  • US biotech company in ICC arbitration in France against a German company in the global pharmaceutical market
  • Global leader in pharmaceuticals in German state court proceedings against a European biotech company
  • Global consumer products company in German state court proceedings against a South American agricultural and export company
  • European healthcare company in German law DIS arbitration brought by a European chemicals company under an SPA

Pro bono

  • Proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights, including “pushback” cases
Languages
  • German
  • English
  • French
  • Spanish

Awards and Recognitions

  • The Legal 500 Germany 2026: "An outstanding partner in every respect – strategically astute, commercially adept, and consistently calm under pressure"
  • Lexology Index: Arbitration 2026 – Highly Recommended: "One of the most astute and quick-witted advocates I have encountered"
  • The Legal 500 Germany 2025: "Thinks further than the typical lawyer in a large international law firm"; "Marc Jacob’s deep expertise in Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) is unparalleled"
  • Handelsblatt in cooperation with Best Lawyers 2025, 2026 & 2027: International Arbitration; Arbitration and Mediation; and Litigation
  • Who's Who Legal (now Lexology) 2023 & 2024 – Arbitration Future Leaders: "An excellent strategist"; "a legal encyclopedia"
  • The Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist: DACH 2023: Listed among "leading arbitration counsel in Germany, Austria and Switzerland" and "practitioners that are deemed the gold standard by businesses"
Education
  • University of Frankfurt am Main, doctorate in law, summa cum laude
  • Harvard Law School, LL.M., Landon H. Gammon Fellowship for academic excellence
  • University College London, LL.B., first class honours

Publications

  • “Seat of Arbitration”, “Witnesses” and “Documentary Evidence” in Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of International Commercial Arbitration (F. Ferrari and F. Rosenfeld eds., Edward Elgar, 2025)
  • “Common Law of International Adjudication” in Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (H. Ruiz Fabri ed., Oxford University Press, forthcoming) (with M. Ulfat)
  • Energy Disunity: UK formally withdraws from the Energy Charter Treaty, 22 August 2024
  • Difficult week for the Energy Charter Treaty, 31 May 2024
  • “Bilateral investment treaties”, Westlaw, Thomson Reuters, May 2024 (with T. Toweill)
  • “Investment treaty arbitration”, Westlaw, Thomson Reuters, April 2024 (with L. Bizikova)
  • “Multilateral investment treaties”, Westlaw, Thomson Reuters, February 2024 (with B. Fletcher)
  • “When can a state-linked entity bring an investment treaty claim?“, June 2022
  • “Art. 268 TFEU: Jurisdiction in Disputes Relating to Compensation” in Das Recht der Europäischen Union (Grabitz/Hilf/Nettesheim eds., C.H. Beck, 2021) (with M. Kottmann)
  • “Art. 340 TFEU: Action for Damages” in Das Recht der Europäischen Union (Grabitz/Hilf/Nettesheim eds., C.H. Beck, 2021) (with M. Kottmann)
  • “Dispute Settlement Mechanism under the London Agreement on German External Debts (1953)” in Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (H. Ruiz Fabri ed., Oxford University Press, 2019)
  • “Counterclaims and State Claims” in Contemporary and Emerging Issues on the Law of Damages and Valuation in International Investment Arbitration 347 (C. Beharry ed., Brill Nijhoff, 2018) (with J. Sharpe)
  • “Fair and Equitable Treatment: Content, Practice, Method” in International Investment Law 700 (M. Bungenberg et al. eds., C.H. Beck, Hart, Nomos, 2015) (with S. Schill)
  • “Going Soft: Towards a New Age of Soft Law in International Investment Law?” 8(1) World Arbitration & Mediation Review 1 (2014) (with S. Schill)
  • Precedent and Case-Based Reasoning in the European Court of Justice: Unfinished Business (Cambridge University Press, 2014; paperback, 2016)
  • “Technique and Contents of International Investment Treaties: Can the Form Affect the Substance?” in Preferential Trade and Investment Agreements: From Recalibration to Reintegration 81 (R. Hofmann et al. eds. Nomos, 2013)
  • “Common Structures of Investment Law in an Age of Increasingly Complex Treaty-Making” Columbia FDI Perspectives 94, May 2013 (with S. Schill)
  • “Trends in International Investment Agreements, 2010/2011: The Increasing Complexity of International Investment Law” in Yearbook on International Investment Law & Policy 141 (K. Sauvant ed., Oxford University Press, 2013) (with S. Schill)
  • “Investments, Bilateral Treaties” in Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law 317 (R. Wolfrum ed., Oxford University Press, 2012)

Seminars

Marc Jacob is a regular speaker on issues of dispute resolution, arbitration and public international law.

Prior Experience

  • Before joining DLA Piper, Marc Jacob worked in a US law firm in Frankfurt. He was formerly a senior fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg.

Lecturer

  • Marc Jacob has taught investment arbitration, and international law, and contract and tort at the University of Tübingen and University College London.

Memberships And Affiliations

  • London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
  • The German Institution of Arbitration (DIS)
  • German Branch (DVIR) of the International Law Association (ILA)
  • The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL)
  • The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple
  • International Bar Association (IBA)
  • Harvard Club Rhein-Main

My latest insights

Publication

Energy Disunity: UK formally withdraws from the Energy Charter Treaty

22 August 2024 .8 minute read

Publication

Energy and Natural Resources Case Law Update - Issue 11

2 August 2024 .45 minute read

Publication

Difficult week for the Energy Charter Treaty

31 May 2024 .8 minute read

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