Aaron H. Jacoby

Jacoby is a standout legal talent in the disruptive automobile industry, representing ride-sharing services, autonomous vehicle companies and online vehicle vendors.

Part of that work is quelling concerns among legislators and policymakers.

“When something is disruptive it has the potential or the fear of tearing things down, I tend not to feel that way and believe things happen and change for a reason,” Jacoby said. “It works out in a way that ultimately benefits the public including the business community.”

Jacoby worked with a manufacturer of self-driving cars to develop a business model that complies with regulations in all 50 states. He assisted a ride-hailing service develop and test self-driving cars.

The law lags behind the technology and one of the biggest issues autonomous vehicle proponents face at the regulatory level is taking humans out of the equation, Jacoby said.

“To allow for actual true autonomous driving, there had to be no safety driver, with no gas pedal, no steering wheel,” he said.

A safety driver is actually more dangerous, Jacoby said. It’s a concept that’ll take time for legislators to understand, he said.

Nevertheless, Jacoby is optimistic that autonomous vehicles will be introduced commercially in three years.

Sales is another area of the industry where he has become a leader. New car sales are heavily regulated by states, which for a long time have limited transactions to licensed brick-and-mortar dealers. Jacoby is aiding online entrepreneurs as they expand the ways in which cars are sold.

Among his clients is TrueCar Inc., which offers online auto pricing and information; Blinker Inc., a website that allows for vehicle sales by private parties; and Edmunds.com Inc., a provider of prices for new and used vehicles.

“We advise companies as to how to get as close as to retail sales as they can and still comply with various laws governing the licensed activities they’re engaged in,” Jacoby said. “A consumer can complete some of the process online at least and complete the sale at the dealership. That’s how the third parties make it work.”

— Arin Mikailian