MARTIN JACKSON is a Litigation and Global Arbitration partner in the firm’s New York office. For decades, Martin has tried cases in state and federal courts and acts as counsel in disputes under all of the major international arbitration rules. Martin’s international arbitration and litigation practice focuses on disputes involving construction, derivatives, energy, licensing and distribution, international financial transactions, IP licensing, oil and gas, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and trade secrets. He is licensed in both New York and California and his clients entrust him with “bet-the-company” cases. Martin routinely advises and represents clients in South Korea and other APAC countries in international arbitration proceedings, cross-border disputes, and U.S. litigation. He also speaks Spanish fluently and represents Latin American clients in a variety of disputes and legal proceedings in the United States.
As a highly successful trial lawyer, Martin is well-respected and well-known for his advocacy skills. Martin has been recognized as a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation (2015; 2020–2025), a “Future Leader” by Lexology (2025); and a “Recommended” lawyer for International Arbitration by Legal 500 Latin America (2014 & 2025); and was selected as “The Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40–Class of 2013” by the National LGBT Bar Association, which recognizes 40 legal professionals nationally “under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their field and demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBT equality.”
Martin is a frequent conference speaker, thought leader, and panelist on international arbitration and ligation topics and is praised by his clients and colleagues for his dedication and results. He is also deeply committed to principles of diversity and inclusion within the legal community and has served as a co-chair of the New York Office Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for more than a decade.
Representative Arbitrations Include:
- Counsel for a major multinational conglomerate headquartered in Asia, in a dispute over the financing and construction of a power generating facility with potential parallel investment treaty and commercial arbitration proceedings. Successfully obtained a nine-figure settlement for the client for its bilateral investment treaty and contract claims.
- Counsel for a pharmaceutical company in an ICC arbitration proceeding seated in Singapore involving a contract dispute related to the joint development, sale and distribution of a sustained-release biologic approved for sale and distribution in the EU. Successfully defended client against claims exceeding US$600 million and obtained an award of millions of dollars in fees and costs.
- Counsel for a petroleum company in LCIA arbitration. Successfully defended client against claims seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in alleged damages and obtained an award of nearly US$4 million in fees and costs. The arbitration award generated significant media coverage.
- Counsel for a Korean client in an international arbitration conducted under the aegis of the International Chamber of Commerce. Successfully obtained a multi-million dollar damages award for breach of contract and good faith claims related to a long-term metals offtake agreement, including an award of US$3.5 million in fees and costs. Also successfully defended client against counterclaims for tens of millions of dollars.
- Counsel for Vietnamese and Canadian clients in an international arbitration conducted under the aegis of the International Chamber of Commerce in Toronto. Successfully defended clients against claims seeking US$300 million in damages for alleged breaches of long-term metals offtake agreements and associated alleged torts, in which the arbitral tribunal awarded the firm’s clients US$3.1 million in fees and costs.
- Counsel for an Argentina-based client engaged in the production, sale and export of aluminum in a breach of contract dispute involving a large trader of aluminum based in Ohio. Successfully moved to compel arbitration in federal court and successfully defended client against contract claims in an international arbitration proceeding under the aegis of JAMS.
- Counsel for a hedge fund marketing client in a breach of contract arbitration conducted under the aegis of the American Arbitration Association. Successfully obtained substantial monetary award and specific performance of contractual provisions.
Representative Cases Include:
- Counsel for a ride-sharing service in litigation with state and local regulators. Obtained successful settlement that permitted the company to launch its ride-sharing service in all five boroughs of New York City. The case generated substantial media coverage, including reports by Law360, The American Lawyer, CBS News and the Associated Press.
- Special litigation counsel for the Superintendent of Financial Services of the State of New York in an action seeking to liquidate Executive Life Insurance Company of New York, which had been in rehabilitation for
two decades, resulting in an order of liquidation that was subsequently affirmed on appeal. - Counsel for the producers of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas – the Musical,” a publicized case, which resulted in the successful attainment of an injunction to allow the show to be staged during a Broadway stagehand strike in New York City.
- Counsel for the liquidation trustee of a Colombian airline in cross-border insolvency proceedings of an affiliated airline, which resulted in a favorable settlement.
Awards
Martin has been ranked by various directories and awards bodies. These recognitions include the following:
- “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation (2015; 2020–2025), which noted that “although Jackson attends to arbitration and litigation that is typically international in nature, on a more local level, he lays claim to a July 2014 victory for ride-sharing startup Lyft in which he reached a deal with New York regulators to allow the service to launch the same day in New York City.”
- “The Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40–Class of 2013” by the National LGBT Bar Association, an award which recognizes 40 legal professionals • nationally “under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their field and demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBT equality.”
- Recommended for International Arbitration by Legal 500 Latin America (2014 & 2025).