Jacob (Jake) is a member of Hall & Wilcox’s commercial dispute resolution team, practising predominantly in general commercial litigation.
Jake acts for clients in a wide range of contractual disputes, corporations and equity matters (including shareholder oppression, directors' duties and corporate fraud claims), disputes and investigations involving all major Australian regulators, class actions, environment and sustainability disputes (including greenwashing civil proceedings and regulatory enforcement action), trade practices and tax litigation. Jake specialises in legally and factually complex disputes and litigation, with a particular focus on the funds and financial services sectors.
As a co-founder of a major brewing and hospitality business, Jake has substantial practical business knowledge and experience, which informs his approach to strategically managing legal disputes, proceedings and regulatory investigations.
Jake's experience includes:
- representing fund trustee Vanguard in Federal Court civil penalty proceedings brought by ASIC involving allegations of'greenwashing';
- acting as independent ACCC-appointed auditor in respect of the annual compliance audit of Metcash’s compliance with its section 87B undertaking in respect of the acquisition of the Home Timber & Hardware Group;
- acting for non-executive directors of a failed regional non-bank lender (Banksia Securities Limited) in the defence of a class action proceeding and related litigation by special purpose receivers, public examinations by the company’s receivers, as well as ASIC investigations and examinations in respect of alleged breaches of directors’ duties;
- representing a funds management trustee in ASIC investigations concerning suspected breaches of ASX continuous disclosure obligations, including assisting with responses to and compliance with examination and statutory information-gathering notices and otherwise liaising with ASIC;
- acting for clients in various competition and consumer regulatory investigations, including ACCC investigations and enforcement action concerning suspected cartel conduct and other anti-competitive practices including resale price maintenance and misleading or deceptive conduct;
- acting in numerous ASIC investigations and enforcements, including responding to civil, criminal and administrative action pursued by the corporate regulator;
- representing Sauber Motorsport AG in high-profile Supreme Court and Court of Appeal proceedings concerning a dispute with one of Sauber’s former drivers in respect of the 2015 Melbourne F1 Grand Prix;
- representing clients in various shareholder oppression proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria and the Federal Court;
- representing clients in Royal Commissions and other commissions of inquiry;
- appointed by the Victorian Legal Services Board as Manager of the 'AdvocateMe' law practice and assisting court-appointed receivers of another law practice.
Awards and Recognition
Best Lawyers in Australia
2026 | Competition Law
2022-2026 | Litigation
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
2024 | Dispute resolution: litigation
2022 | Key lawyer – Dispute resolution: litigation and Recommended – Financial services regulatory