Lawrence Jacobs

Lon Jacobs
Born Lawrence A. Jacobs
4 May 1955
Pennsylvania, United States[1]
Occupation General counsel of Time Inc., lawyer, executive, businessperson
Spouse(s) Hannah Jacobs

Lawrence "Lon" A. Jacobs (born May 4, 1955) is the former Chief Legal Officer, Senior Executive Vice President and Group General Counsel of News Corporation.[2] In April 2013, he began his tenure as the General Counsel of Empire State Development, however Jacobs resigned in November in order to join Time Inc., where he currently serves as their General Counsel.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Jacobs grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.[3]

He graduated from Temple University summa cum laude in 1978 and Brooklyn Law School cum laude in 1981.[3][4] Jacobs is an Adjunct Professor at his alma mater Brooklyn Law School.[5] His curriculum as of the Spring 2012 semester is a Media Law and Policy Seminar.[6]

Jacobs has been a member of the Bar of the State of New York since 1982.[7]

News Corporation

Jacobs joined News Corp. in 1996 as deputy to Arthur Siskind, whose position he took over in 2004 when Siskind stepped down and announced his retirement.[8]

Most notably, Jacobs was responsible for the acquisitions of MySpace, Dow Jones and DirectTV during his tenure as General Counsel.[9]

His salary in 2007 was $4.1 million.[10]

Resignation

On June 8, 2011, Jacobs announced that he would be stepping down from his position as General Counsel at News Corp. in order to "pursue new opportunities."[11]

Jacobs' resignation came when he approached the company Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey to inform him that News Corp. was in breach of his contract; chairman & CEO Rupert Murdoch was using former New York City Schools Chancellor, and newly appointed News Corp. executive, Joel Klein, who joined the company in November 2010, for legal counsel instead of himself.[12] He was released from his multimillion-dollar contract with News Corp. with four years remaining on it.[12]

There are numerous reports regarding the cause for Jacobs' sudden departure, though it is rumored that Jacobs left due to being the top legal officer during the time of the News International phone hacking scandal,[13] as well as friction with Klein.[14]

Despite such speculation as to Jacobs' reasoning for leaving, it is not known that Jacobs had any involvement in or knowledge of the News of the World phone hacking.[15]

Empire State Development

Jacobs currently serves on the board of multiple organizations. On April 1, 2013, he officially began his position as General Counsel of Empire State Development, a public authority of the state of New York that finances and operates several ambitious state projects.[16] This was Jacobs first time as a Chief Legal Officer following his departure from News Corporation. Despite having joined the company in April, Jacobs left only seven months into his tenure in order to join Time Inc.[17]

Time Inc.

On November 1, 2013, Jacobs returned to the private sector, joining Time Inc. as it began its transformation from a publishing house into a media corporation, all while being spun off from its parent company, Time Warner.[18] Jacobs is playing an important role in the company's transition into a public corporation.[19]

Personal life

Jacobs is a Democrat. He was a supporter of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.[3][9]

He lives with his wife Hannah and their two daughters on the Upper West Side of New York City.[3] Jacobs youngest daughter is intellectually disabled.[20]

Philanthropy

Jacobs is involved in many philanthropic efforts including those that grant educational opportunities for people from underprivileged backgrounds.[11] Because of this involvement, he has been associated with numerous organizations.

In March 2008, Jacobs was honored for his work with the JCRC and was awarded the Corporate Leader Award. He was presented with the award by his colleague, Fox News President and CEO Roger Ailes.[21][22]

Jacobs was the honoree at the Cooke Center for Learning and Development on April 27, 2009, where he received the Cooke's Founders Award. He spoke out against discrimination directed towards people with disabilities. Jacobs has been a fervent supporter of disability awareness. He is against the misuse of the word "retard" because of its offensive connotation towards people with special needs.[20] Jacobs was honored while he was Chairman of the Cooke Center Board of Directors.

In May 2011, Jacobs, along with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and George Hornig, was honored by College Bound Initiative, run by Ann Rubenstein Tisch, for their 10th anniversary ceremony. Jacobs was recognized for his work with organizations in order to further his mission to offer a higher education to people of all income levels.[23][24]

In November 2011, Jacobs was honored with his wife Hannah, who is a disability advocate, and Woody Allen by Resources for Children with Special Needs. Mr. Jacobs was acknowledged for his work with Special Olympics for creating a PSA for the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign.[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rupert Murdoch’s Right-Hand Man Super Lawyers. Retrieved June 2011.
  2. ↑ "News Corporation Executives". News Corporation. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Harper, Timothy (December 2008). "Rupert Murdoch’s Right-Hand Man". Super Lawyers. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  4. ↑ "Group General Counsel Arthur M. Siskind To Retire At Year-End And Be Succeeded By Lawrence A. Jacobs". News Corporation. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  5. ↑ "Adjunct". Faculty Directory. Brooklyn Law School. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "Curriculum". Media Law and Policy Seminar. Brooklyn Law School. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "Lawrence A. Jacobs Profile". Forbes. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  8. ↑ "Movers and shakers: Eugenie Turton's gateway to the Wates board". The Daily Telegraph. 4 November 2004. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lieberman, David (8 June 2011). "Surprise At News Corp: General Counsel Lawrence Jacobs Leaves". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  10. ↑ Steffens, Miriam (8 September 2007). "News Corp executives pocket $112m". The Age. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Lawrence A. Jacobs to Step Down as Senior Executive Vice President, Group General Counsel of News Corporation". News Corporation. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sherman, Gabriel (4 November 2011). "How Elisabeth Murdoch is Trying to Finally Get Her Due". New York Magazine. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  13. ↑ Peters, Jeremy W. (8 June 2011). "General Counsel of News Corp. Resigns in Wake of Settlement". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  14. ↑ Flint, Joe (9 June 2011). "News Corp. general counsel is leaving after 15 years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  15. ↑ Pilkington, Ed (7 July 2011). "Murdoch under pressure to contain phone hacking scandal within the UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  16. ↑ "Jacobs' Twitter Page". Twitter. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  17. ↑ Kelly, Keith J. "Time shocker: Pearlstine’s back, Nelson’s out". New York Post. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  18. ↑ Burton, Lucy (1 November 2013). "Legal changes at TIME as News Corp veteran steps in prior to spinoff from Time Warner". The Lawyer. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  19. ↑ "Time Inc. Builds Senior Management Team and Reorganizes Editorial Operations". Reuters. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Cooke Board Chairman Takes Strong Stand Against Discrimination at Cooke Spring Gala". Cooke Center for Learning and Development. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  21. ↑ Boxer, Tim (2008). "JCRC - Doctor’s Advice To A Wife Can Be Lethal To Her Hubby". 15 Minutes Magazine. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  22. ↑ Leon, Masha (11 April 2008). "CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein Honored by JCRC". Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  23. ↑ "College Bound Initiative Celebrates 10 Years". MyFox New York. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  24. ↑ Delevingne, Lawrence (May 2011). "Hedge funders boost New York City non-profit CollegeBound Initiative". Philanthropy Is. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  25. ↑ "Thank you from RCSN--2011 Fall Gala". Resources for Children with Special Needs Inc. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
Business positions
Preceded by
Arthur Siskind		 General Counsel of News Corporation
2004-2011 		Succeeded by
Gerson Zweifach