George Jacobs graduated from Harvard College in 1955 and from Harvard Law School in 1958. After graduating from law school, he practiced in New Bedford until 1975. During that time, Justice Jacobs served as solicitor for the city and as an assistant attorney general for Massachusetts. From 1975 until 1981, when he was appointed to the Superior Court, he served as an associate justice for the Bristol County Probate and Family Court.
Governor Michael Dukakis appointed him to the Appeals Court in 1989, where Justice Jacobs served as associate justice until he retired in 2003. He taught at several law schools in the Boston area, concentrating on Massachusetts practice, business and labor law, and medical malpractice. Justice Jacobs most recently was a professor at the University of Massachusetts School of Law. He was the co-author with Justice Kenneth Laurence of volume 51 - Professional Malpractice - of the Massachusetts Practice Series, published by Thomson Reuters West. Justice Jacobs passed away on July 7, 2020.
The Appeals Court's Memorial to Justice Jacobs can be found at 102 Mass. App. Ct. 1127 (2023). A recording of the sitting is available for viewing here.