Jacqueline DiRubbo

Senior Associate

Your Real Estate Attorney in Southern California

Jacqueline DiRubbo is a Senior Associate at Hoffman & Forde and co-chair of the firm’s Technology Committee. Her practice areas include civil and business litigation, commercial and residential real estate disputes, and transactional matters.

Education and Experience

Ms. DiRubbo earned her J.D./M.B.A., with honors, from Rutgers University School of Law and Rutgers University School of Business in 2014, and holds a B.S. in Business Administration (finance and accounting), graduating cum laude from Rutgers University in 2010. She brings substantial experience from a nationally recognized environmental and real estate firm in Seattle, as well as boutique and full-service firms in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. Her practice includes litigating cases through dispositive motions and trial, handling post-trial motions and appeals through the state supreme court level, and representing clients in federal district courts. Ms. DiRubbo is also proficient in eDiscovery and AI-assisted legal tools, emphasizing ethical and compliant technology use in modern legal practice.

Ms. DiRubbo’s legal foundation includes service in the Tax and Bankruptcy Section of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, externships with multiple federal judges, and a post-bar clerkship with the Honorable John E. Harrington (P. Civ.)(Ret.). During law school, she served as MBA Executive Board President and as Editor and Technology Manager for the Rutgers Journal of Law and Public Policy, and represented Rutgers at the William C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Munich, Germany. Her academic and professional achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Dean’s Scholar Award, Dean’s Pro Bono Publico Award, Federal Prisoner Re-Entry Clinic Lawyering Award, Academic Excellence Scholarship, and the Philadelphia Bar Association Award for Leadership and Public Service.

As a results-driven and solutions-oriented attorney, Ms. DiRubbo partners with clients to achieve their goals—whether through success at trial or closing complex transactions. She represents buyers, sellers, real estate agents, investors, entrepreneurs, and companies across diverse industries, and has served as outside general counsel for startups and middle-market businesses. In addition to handling a variety of real estate matters, Jacqueline’s practice has encompassed employment disputes, shareholder oppression and other business litigation, trade secret and environmental litigation, fiduciary duty and fraud claims, executive compensation disputes, software licensing, and entity formation for healthcare, technology, and nonprofit organizations. An entrepreneur from an early age, Ms. DiRubbo credits her work ethic and integrity to her immigrant grandparents and remains committed to serving her clients and community with dedication, diligence, and purpose.

Bar Admissons

• California
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Washington

Professional Memberships

• San Diego County Bar Association
• Lawyers Club of San Diego
• Arab American Bar Association of San Diego
• Rutgers Club of San Diego
• Ronald McDonald House Charities
• National Alliance of Therapy Dogs
• Three Little Pitties

Additional Information

Outside of work, Ms. DiRubbo thoroughly enjoys reading, hiking, horseback riding, dancing, paddleboarding, and exploring with her partner, young son, and two dogs. She also studies data analysis for public policy decision-making, with the goal of supporting evidence-based public policy work in Southern California.