About Matthew Jacob
Matthew Jacob Rubenstein graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. in economics in 2010 and earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2014. His academic path combined a broad interest in public policy and law with rigorous training in legal research and writing. Those years set the stage for a career that has moved between trial courts, appellate benches, and large-firm practice.
He began his legal career clerking for Judge James S. Gwin on the U.S. District Court in 2014. That year introduced him to the procedural and substantive demands of federal trial work. The following year he served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit for Judge David S. Tatel, where he worked on a mix of administrative and constitutional matters. In 2018 he clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Supreme Court of the United States, gaining experience at the highest level of the federal judiciary.
After his clerkships Rubenstein joined Jones Day as an associate. Records show he practiced there in 2017 and again returned or continued in 2019 as an associate. His time at the firm spans civil litigation and appeals, and he has appeared in matters in multiple federal circuits. He holds admissions that include the Minnesota bar and several federal appellate circuits and courts: the 2nd, 3rd, and 7th Circuits, the Federal Circuit, and the District of Columbia. He has been a member of the Minnesota State Bar since 2019.
Rubenstein’s work has oscillated between courtroom procedure and appellate briefing. Clerking at three distinct levels of the federal system gave him familiarity with how trial records are developed and how appellate courts treat those records. That background informs his approach to briefing, oral argument preparation, and pretrial litigation strategy.
Colleagues describe him as methodical in legal research and exacting in drafting. He has handled issues that arise at both district and circuit levels and accumulated experience in federal litigation practice. His career path—Harvard, Yale, district and circuit clerks, a Supreme Court clerkship, followed by firm practice—reflects sustained engagement with federal courts and appellate work.
He is currently an associate at Jones Day and practices in the areas of federal litigation and appellate matters.
