Mr Justice Jacobs grew up up in London and went to school in Highgate, then studied law at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar in 1979, and became a member of Essex Court Chambers. Sir Richard practised in a range of fields of commercial law, including shipping, shipbuilding, international sale of goods, reinsurance and reinsurance, and oil and gas. He had a substantial practice in international commercial arbitration, including regularly sitting as an arbitrator. He also became an expert in litigation relating to the Bermuda Form, and is one of the authors of ‘Liability Insurance In International Arbitration: The Bermuda Form’. Sir Richard was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998, as a Recorder in 2002, and as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2017. He has been a High Court Judge since 2018.

Sir Richard Jacobs plays tennis and piano, and enjoys watching cricket and football: he is a member of the MCC, and supports Arsenal.