2023 Up & Coming Awards: Jacob Simon, 35

Associate, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, St. Louis

Practice area: Commercial litigation

Law school: Columbia

A judge Jacob Simon clerked for once reminded him of the “K-I-S-S rule”: Keep it simple stupid.

“I have that written on the whiteboard in my office to help me remember that the most persuasive arguments are concise and easy to follow on even a quick read,” noted the 35-year-old.

Concentrating on civil litigation in the state and federal courts, Simon has experience in class action defense, complex commercial disputes and defense of clients in white collar criminal matters and regulatory investigations. Joining Bryan Cave in 2019 after a stint at a New York firm, he is also a former clerk for Judge Sarah S. Vance of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

What inspired you to get involved in the legal profession?

I wouldn’t say I was necessarily “inspired.” I’ve always been interested in reading and writing, and especially persuasive writing, where I’m arguing in favor of something. That, along with the prospect of a stable career afterward, is what ultimately led me to attend law school.

What has been your favorite moment as an attorney?

In the spring of 2021, I had the opportunity to first-chair a trial in state court. I worked the case with minimal supervision and attended the one-day trial on my own. I hadn’t chaired a trial before this one, let alone delivered my own opening and closing statements and cross-examined witnesses. I ultimately won a complete defense verdict for our client. Even more, it seemed that the verdict had turned on a strategic decision I had to make in the weeks leading up to the trial with respect to certain evidence. It was a gut decision on what to do with this piece of evidence, and I was only 51 percent sure that I had made the right decision. It was nice to see that my instincts were aligned with how the jury saw the case. It was a small case, but I felt proud.