Dr Dov Jacobs
International Lawyer
Background and expertise
Dr. Dov Jacobs has been working in the field of international law and international criminal law for nearly 15 years. He provides strategic advice to States, communities affected by human rights violations and various organisations and he is on the List of Counsel at the International Criminal Court and the MICT. Currently, at the ICC, he is co-Counsel for Mahamat Said and on the Defence team of Laurent Gbagbo; at the MICT, he is a member of the Defense team of Félicien Kabuga and Duty Counsel in the Jojic case. He has also been involved as an Amicus Curiae in both the Afghanistan and Palestine Situations at the ICC, along with Josh Kern from 9BR.
Having completed his studies at Sciences Po in Paris, Paris I - La Sorbonne (comparative law) and Paris II- Pantheon Assas (Public International Law), Dov Jacobs completed his PhD at the European University Institute in Florence on Hybrid Tribunals. He joined the University of Amsterdam in 2010 as a researcher on the SHARES project, which explores concepts and practices of shared responsibility in international law and joined Leiden University in 2011 as an Assistant Professor in International Law. He taught numerous topics, including public international law, transitional justice and international criminal law and participated in a number of research projects.
In 2012, he joined the Defence team of Laurent Gbagbo at the International Criminal Court, led by Emmanuel Altit. As a Legal Assistant and Trial Lawyer, Dov Jacobs participated in all relevant proceedings from the confirmation of charges to the trial, which led to the acquittal of Laurent Gbagbo in January 2019 following a ‘no case to answer’ procedure, an acquittal confirmed on appeal in March 2021.He specialises in international criminal procedure, transitional justice and legal theory. His extensive published work has covered a diversity of issues, from shared responsibility in international law, immunities, criminal procedure and the rights of the defence, as well as transitional justice. He regularly comments on issues of international law on his blog, ‘Spreading the Jam’.
