Jacob O. Malatesta is the Managing Attorney of the Jackson, MS office. He is a native of the Mississippi Delta where he began his legal career practicing in Clarksdale, then Greenville, and settling with his family in Jackson.
After obtaining an undergraduate degree in Spanish and English at the University of Mississippi, Jacob graduated cum laude from the University of Mississippi Law School. While in law school, Jacob was a member of Phi Delta Phi, an honorary legal fraternity. He was selected by his peers as a member of the Moot Court Board and later elected as a member of the Executive Board where he served as Appellate Advocacy Chairman. Jacob was also selected by his professors to participate in the Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition. He was later named Moot Court Member of the Year by the Moot Court Executive Board and inducted into the Order of Barristers.
Jacob has successfully litigated general liability claims (including property damage, automobile liability, dram shop, and premises liability), professional liability (including medical malpractice and employment discrimination), and extra-contractual liability claims. Jacob’s appellate practice includes numerous victories based on both procedural and substantive law.
Jacob has experience litigating cases in both state and federal courts in Mississippi, North Carolina Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama, at both the trial and appellate levels and holds the AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for ethical standards and legal ability. Jacob has also twice been named a Rising Star by the SuperLawyers publication, making him only one of three Rising Star SuperLawyers in medical malpractice litigation in Mississippi. In 2018, he was selected as an official member of the Lawyers of Distinction, a national organization that recognizes excellence in the legal field, and as one of the top 40 legal professionals in the state when named a Leadership in Law honoree by the Mississippi Business Journal.
Jacob went to law school because he loved language and rhetoric. While there, he grew to love trial and appellate advocacy and the ability to solve problems by presenting compelling stories.
Jacob lives in Jackson, Mississippi, with his wife, Christy, their sons, Peter and Andrew, and their dog, Yazoo. He is a member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. In his free time, Jacob enjoys hunting, fishing, and serving as a beleaguered Ole Miss fan by spending warm fall Saturdays in The Grove.