Stuart E. Jacobs

PARTNER

Mr. Jacobs is a partner at the law firm of

Jacobs & Hazan, LLP located in New York City.  He concentrates his practice on complex civil rights cases, as well as criminal defense. 

Mr. Jacobs represents individuals whose constitutional rights were violated by the government and its employees.    Mr. Jacobs vigorously and aggressively protects individuals and the public from civil rights violations, including cases involving false arrest, police brutality and prisoners’ rights.

Mr. Jacobs began his legal career at a boutique Manhattan law firm, where he was an associate in the firm’s criminal defense and civil litigation practice.  During Mr. Jacobs’ tenure at that law firm, he vigorously defended the rights of individuals accused of committing crimes ranging from drug possession to attempted murder in both State and Federal Court.  Mr. Jacobs was intimately involved in the defense of these individuals, from the initial arraignment up to and including trial. 

Mr. Jacobs continued his legal career as an Assistant Corporation Counsel at the New York City Law Department, Special Federal Litigation Division, where he specialized in defending the City of New York, New York City Police Officers, and New York City Correction Officers against lawsuits filed by individuals pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that their constitutional rights had been violated.  These claims included, but were not limited to, false arrest, malicious prosecution, excessive force, and denial of medical treatment.  In this capacity, Mr. Jacobs successfully defended hundreds of civil rights cases on behalf of the City of New York, including several high profile cases.  In one such case, Michael Mineo v. City of New York et al.,

Mr. Jacobs successfully obtained a defense verdict for one of the police officers that had been accused of participating in the alleged sodomy of

Mr. Mineo.  Mr. Jacobs’ unique background of having represented citizens, as well as police officers and correction officers, has provided Mr. Jacobs with the necessary perspective and understanding that only comes from litigating cases from both sides. 

Mr. Jacobs received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.  Thereafter, Mr. Jacobs attended Hofstra University School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude.  While attending Hofstra, Mr. Jacobs was a Dean’s Scholar and upon graduating, he was awarded the Procedural Law Course Award.  Mr. Jacobs is a member of  the New York State bar and is admitted to practice in both the Southern  and Eastern Districts of New York.  He is also an active member of the New York State Bar Association and New York County Lawyers’ Association.  Mr. Jacobs has also taught courses on the topic of civil rights litigation and has been a volunteer mentor to high school students at Legal Outreach, a non-profit organization.  

David M. Hazan

PARTNER

David Hazan is a partner at the law firm of Jacobs & Hazan, LLP.  He concentrates his practice on civil rights litigation and criminal defense litigation. Specifically, he focuses on protecting the constitutional rights of individuals that were subject to police misconduct and prisoners that were subject to constitutional violations while they were incarcerated.  Mr.  Hazan also represents individuals who are accused of criminal misconduct in all phases of their criminal proceedings, from arraignment to trial.  In addition to civil rights litigation and criminal defense litigation, Mr. Hazan is active in the practice of Constitutional Law, Children’s Rights, Class Actions, and Free Speech/ First Amendment Litigation.

Mr. Hazan spent six years of his career as a dedicated public servant at the New York City Office of the Corporation Counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Division, where he was responsible for litigating complex civil rights cases and supervising and training younger attorneys.  During those years, Mr. Hazan specialized in defending the City of New York, New York City Police Officers, New York City Corrections Officers, and other agents of the City of New York against lawsuits brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that individual’s Constitutional rights were violated.  These claims included, but were not limited to claims brought pursuant to the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.  Such claims included false arrest, malicious prosecution, excessive force, and deliberate indifference to medical needs.  Furthermore, Mr. Hazan successfully represented the New York City Police Department and the City of New York in several high profile class action lawsuits, wherein plaintiffs claimed that the New York City Police Department had an actual policy and practice of violating individuals’ Constitutional Rights.

Mr. Hazan acted as lead counsel on several high profile lawsuits, wherein plaintiffs alleged that employees of the City of New York violated their Constitutional Rights.  In one such case, MacWade, et al. v. Kelly, et al., 05 Civ. 6921 (RMB) (FM), Mr. Hazan successfully obtained a defense verdict, wherein the Court found that it was Constitutional for the City of New York to conduct random searches of passengers bags and/or containers’ who were entering the New York City subway system.  Mr. Hazan also successfully defended police officers in two shooting cases, Estate of Melvin Sylvester, et al. v. City of New York, et al., 03 Civ. 08760 (FM) and Estate of Sean Bell, et al., 07 Civ. 02994 (RLM), where the police officers were accused of using excessive force when they shot and killed a civilian.  Furthermore Mr. Hazan served as lead counsel for defendants in class actions, where plaintiffs alleged that defendant City of New York and the NYPD had an unconstitutional policy and practice of stopping, questioning, and frisking individuals based upon their race rather than reasonable suspicion, Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al., 08 Civ. 01034 (SAS); and where plaintiffs alleged that defendant City of New York and the NYPD had an unconstitutional policy and practice of stopping individuals without reasonable suspicion in New York City Public Housing and arresting those individuals without probable cause for allegedly trespassing into those building, Davis, et al. v. City of New York, et. al., 10 Civ. 699 (SAS).

Mr. Hazan now vigorously and aggressively protects the rights of individuals and the public at large from the violation of their civil rights, including police brutality and prisoner abuse.   To that end, Mr. Hazan’s firm focuses on all phases of litigation in both criminal cases and civil rights cases.  Mr. Hazan’s unique background of having represented citizens, as well as police officers and correction officers, has provided him with the necessary perspective and understanding that only comes from representing clients with a variety of perspectives.

Mr. Hazan is a member of the New York State bar and is admitted to practice in both the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.  He is also an active member of the New York State Bar Association and New York County Lawyers’ Association.  Mr. Hazan received his undergraduate degree from Emory University, and received his Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University Law School.