Jacob provides strategic advice, drawn from his unique experience and qualifications. He specialises in chancery, banking & finance, dispute resolution (as an FCIArb arbitrator and CMC mediator), corporate governance, education law, and discrimination. He is an experienced non-executive director and board member, and a tenacious advocate.
Jacob looks to the whole picture – micro and macro, considering any dispute not just from the legal perspective. His work is unique and demonstrates a breadth of experience recognised by his peers professionally. He is chartered in Banking, Quality, Securities & Investments, Management, as a Certified Fraud Examiner, holding the highest qualifications in corporate governance, Jacob balances risk with reward and acts strategically with the benefit of a global perspective.
Accepting instructions at the Bar of England & Wales, the Bar of Ireland, as an EU Advocate, the Bar of New Zealand, and Barrister of the High Court of Australia, Jacob acts in all matters concerning dispute resolution, contentious trusts, equitable remedies, offshore dispute resolution, governance and risk management, independent inquiries, company and partnership disputes, property disputes, and as a business and governance consultant.
He acts as an arbitrator and mediator in high value disputes and has advised companies before the Dobbs Review into Banking Fraud. As a Special Officer of the National Crime Agency he specialised in areas that interact with policy and the law, POCA, and litigation strategy. His Chancery and trusts practice comprises the breadth of contentious to non-contentious, and he often provides merits advice on potential claims and advises as an expert in more thorny areas.
Jacob also maintains a specialist disability discrimination, Education, University, and Equality Act practice, advising both domestic and international students on internal and external appeals, disciplinary, Office of the Independent Adjudicator, and professional and regulatory body matters. This stems from his years of experience as a senior lecturer, member of various university disciplinary panels, external examiner, and SFHEA. He has been appointed as an expert witness in disability discrimination matters.
Arbitration & mediation
Jacob is an FCIArb Arbitrator and a CMC registered mediator. He regularly mediates complex financial and companies disputes, medico legal claims due to his occupational medicine qualifications, as well as employment and discrimination disputes. He has arbitrated onshore and offshore trust disputes, as well as acting as counsel. His appointments include election law, shareholder disputes, personal injury, costs/taxation, charity disputes. Described as “excellent” and possesing the financial acumen and interpersonal skills of leading counsel, he knows when to push and when to pull.
Banking & financial services
Chartered in Banking by the London Institute of Banking and Finance, the CBI, IOB Ireland, and Ch MCSI qualified. Jacob has acted in matters involving CREST listing, SAMS mortgages, de-banking, cross boarder investments, FCA and NCA investigations. He practiced for a year offshore and still advises on complex structures. His practice often traverses the Chancery realm, including breach of fiduciary duty, and failed schemes.
Commercial
As a former partner in a national law firm, and with multiple professional and academic qualifications in business including an MBA and recognised as a Fellow in Corporate Governance, Jacob has advised various companies and boards through times of risk and success. These include multinationals, to providing advice regarding hostile takeovers, EDI and ESG. He regulatory advises on shareholder disputes, and all matters related to companies’ legislation and consumer law. He has stepped in to advise general counsel, and has liaised with media, government, and external parties in order to obtain a positive public profile.
Chancery
As a TEP and experienced contentious and non-contentious trusts practitioner and academic, Jacob is regularly instructed by both trustees, beneficiaries and charities. He has published in Oxford’s Trust & Trustees, The Step Journal, and is a contributing editor for the Trusts and Property section of the latest edition of Oxford’s Dictionary of Law. He is often asked to provide opinions and to mediate between parties in order to avoid litigation, and is an experienced arbitrator. His doctoral thesis focused on the constructive trust.
Trustee and Protector
Jacob acts professionally as a Trustee and as a Protector for onshore and offshore trusts, covering wide range of jurisdictions and markets.
Education and Discrimination
Jacob’s niche practice is education, discrimination law, especially involving Universities and the Equality Act. As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, holding the PGCE from the LSE and MEd and PgAdvCertES from the University of Cambridge, Jacob is in demand by both domestic and international students to challenge and advise on decisions by Universities and regulatory bodies, and educational and special needs tribunals. He draws on his experience as a Senior Law Lecturer, having sat on both staff and student disciplinary panels, and having acted as a head of department and as an external examiner, and a former Board Member of the Cambridge Law Faculty. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, he has acted in cases before University Tribunals and the Office of Independent Adjudicator, and has succeeded in having PhD students readmitted, and plagiarism decisions overturned, as well as obtaining reasonable adjustments and compensation pursuant to the Equality Act. He was appointed Disability Confident Leader by the Department of Work and Pensions for his work in this sector, and elected FRSA. As Trustee of the Snowdon Trust he awards postgraduate scholarship to disabled student leaders.
Proceeds of Crime, Fraud, Sanctions
Spending two years as a special officer of the National Crime Agency, Jacob advised on POCA and forfeiture matters, litigation strategy, and sanctions. He recently obtained a discharge of a circa £100m freezing order against his client. Holding the CFE (certified fraud examiner) qualification, Jacob is adept in forensic investigation. Jacob is advising a range of client on the changing sanctions landscape.
Wills and Probate
As an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Will Writers, Jacob has lectured on defensive drafting, regularly advising on conflicting Wills and challenges.
Qualifications
- LLB(Hons)(First Class) Victoria University of Wellington
- BL King’s Inns Ireland
- LLM(Distinction) University of Aberdeen
- MSc(First Class) University College Dublin
- MBA University College London
- MEd University of Cambridge
- PgCertLS University of Cambridge
- PgAdvCertES University of Cambridge
- PgDipHelSci Occupational Medicine University of Otago School of Medicine
- PGCE London School of Economics
- AdvDipB&F ProfDipB&F London Institute of Banking and Finance
- DipCB Chartered Banker Institute
- DLM(Distinction) Royal Society of Physicians Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine
- AKC King’s College London
- Various Scholarship and awards
Appointments
- Board Member, Social Security Advisory Commission (Minister of Work and Pensions)
- Independent Panel Member, Ministry of Justice (Lord Chancellor)
- Trustee and Board Member, Snowdon Trust
- Research Associate, Cambridge Centre for Business Research
- Former Special Officer, National Crime Agency (Director General)
Professional Memberships and Elections (current and former)
- FRSA Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (elected for pro-bono Equality Act work)
- FCIArb Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- CMC Registered Member of the Civil Mediation Council
- TEP Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
- SFHEA Senior Fellow of The Higher Education Academy
- FSALS Fellow of The Society for Advanced Legal Studies
- FGP Certified Governance Practitioner and Fellow of the Association of Corporate Governance Practitioners
- FRSPH Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health
- FICA Fellow of The International Compliance Association
- FCA Fellow Compliance Association
- CFPO Certified Data Protection Officer
- CFCP Certified Financial Crime Professional
- CFE Certified Fraud Examiner of The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners US & UK
- Ch MCSI Chartered Member of The Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment
- Ch MCBI Chartered Banker and Member of The Chartered Banker Institute
- Ch LIB Licentiate of the Institute of Bankers at University College Dublin
- Ch ALIBF Chartered Associate of The London Institute of Banking and Finance
- CQP MCQI Chartered Quality Practitioner and Member of The Chartered Quality Institute
- CMgr FCMI Chartered Manager and Fellow of The Chartered Management Institute
- Chancery Bar Association
- NZ Bar Association
- Society of Occupational Medicine
- Department of Work and Pensions Disability Confident Leader
Honours / Awards
- Freedom of the City of London
- Freedom of the Worshipful Society Company of Scriveners
Legal Admissions
- Barrister England and Wales, of the Middle Temple
- Barrister-at-Law, The Bar of Ireland, of the King’s Inns
- Barrister of the High Court of New Zealand
- Barrister of the Supreme Court of the State of Victoria, Australia
- Barrister of the High Court of Australia
Publications
- “Audit after Virtue, the Profession and Rihan v Ernst & Yong” Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law Part 1 (2023) 10 JIBFL 702, and Part 2 (2024) 1 JIBFL 49.
- “Mediating probate and trusts disputes” with Carl Islam (October 2023) Trust & Trustees
- The Oxford Dictionary of Law (OUP, 2022) – Contributing Editor responsible for real-personal property, trusts & estates, crypto
- “Review: Carl, Islam’s Contentious Trust Handbook” (2021) Trust & Trustees
- “Thought leadership: the case for disability on financial companies’ boards” (2020) LIFB Dec TL
- “Listening to the winds of change” (2020) Step Journal (4)
- “Institutional Capture Impeding Real Quality: Outside Eyes” (2020) QualityWorld (Aug)
- “(Re-Defining) The Trust of the Specifically Enforceable Contract of Sale?: The Vendor Purchaser Constructive Trust” (2018) Trust & Trustees 24(3) 266-297
- “Review: Y.K. Liew’s Rationalising Constructive Trusts” (2018) KLJ 29(2)
- “Review: A. Nair’s Claims to Traceable Proceeds” (2018) Trust & Trustees 27(3)
- “Common Law Courts as Regulators, an exposition: The Judiciary as a Regulatory Mechanism” (2017) Journal of Comparative Law 12(11) 108-147
- Victims of Family Violence who Commit Homicide (NZ Law Commission, 2015, R139)
This is the Privacy Policy for:
Barrister: Jacob Meagher
Address: 1EC, 3 King’s Bench Walk North, Inner Temple, London, EC4Y 7HR
The Purposes for which Personal Data is Processed:
Personal data will be processed in order to enable the provision of legal services, ie:
- advice;
- representation in court;
- the drafting of legal documents.
It may also be necessary to retain personal data for conflict-checking purposes or for use in the defense of potential complaints, legal proceedings or fee disputes.
The Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Data
In some cases the subject of the personal data will have given consent to the processing of his or her personal data. Where explicit consent has not been given, personal data will be processed only when:
- it is necessary for the performance of a contract with the person whose personal data is processed (or prior to entering such contract, in order to take steps at the request of the person whose personal data is processed); or when
- it is necessary for the purposes of providing legal services.
Special Categories of Personal Data
It may be necessary to process personal data which constitute particularly sensitive special categories, ie personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.
Such data will only be processed where processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.
Who will receive Personal Data
The recipients of the personal data processed will be:
- instructing solicitors and clients;
- courts and other tribunals to which documents are presented;
- witnesses and potential witnesses, including expert witnesses;
- other barristers, pupil barristers and other legal representatives;
- regulatory authorities.
Retention Periods for Personal Data
Personal data in case files will generally be kept at least the end of one year after the maximum relevant limitation period has expired. The limitation period will be measured from the latest date it is possible to bring any appeal.
The retention period will be reviewed when the work has been completed. The retention period may be adjusted at that time.
International Data Transfers
In cases involving international disputes, it may be necessary to transfer personal data to countries outside the European Economic Area which have different data protection standards to those which apply in the European Economic Area. This will only be done for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. In the event this is necessary, appropriate safeguards will be in place to protect personal data, such as European Commission approved standard contractual clauses or the EU-US Privacy Shield. You have a right to ask for a copy of the relevant safeguard.
Individual’s Rights
If your personal data has been processed or held, you have a right to request access to (and rectification or erasure of) personal data; or to request restriction of processing concerning the data subject; or to object to processing; as well as the right to data portability. These rights may be limited where there is a legal requirement, or other legitimate grounds, to process your data.
If you wish to exercise these rights, please use the contact details above.
If you have unresolved concerns you also have the right to complain to data protection authorities.