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Author: William A. Jacobson

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William A. Jacobson

William A. Jacobson is a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Securities Law Clinic at Cornell Law School.

He is a 1981 graduate of Hamilton College and a 1984 graduate of Harvard Law School. At Harvard he was Senior Editor of the Harvard International Law Journal and Director of Litigation for the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project.

Prior to joining the Cornell law faculty in 2007, Professor Jacobson had a highly successful civil litigation and arbitration practice in Providence, Rhode Island, concentrating in investment, employment, and business disputes in the securities industry, including many high profile cases reported in leading newspapers and magazines.

Professor Jacobson has argued cases in numerous federal and state courts, including the Courts of Appeal for the First, Fifth and Sixth Circuits, and the Rhode Island Supreme Court.

Professor Jacobson has a national reputation as a leading practitioner in securities arbitration. He was Treasurer, and is a former member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, a professional organization of attorneys dedicated to protecting public investors. He frequently is quoted in national media on issues related to investment fraud and investor protection, and in the past has served as one of a small number of private practice attorneys who trained new arbitrators for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Professor Jacobson is co-author of the Securities Arbitration Desk Reference (Thomson-Reuters), updated annually.

Professor Jacobson is frequently quoted in the media on political and legal topics, has authored many Op-Eds in major publications, and appears on television and radio to discuss politics and the law.

A more complete listing of Professor Jacobson's professional background is available at the Cornell Law School website. The views expressed here are his own and not those of any employer or organization,

The best way to reach Prof. Jacobson is by e-mail here.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 18, 2011 1 Comment

Makes perfect sense.  Both car owners believe in freedom for all, but only one is willing to do something about it. Thanks to reader Joel who writes: Seen today as I walked to my car in the parking lot in Westlake Village (Ca). Of course, just next to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2011 34 Comments

Trying my best to break the headlock Newt, Romney and Cain have placed on this blog. The rest of the world is falling apart: Who coulda predicted:  Israel watches as world rejects strict sanctions on Iran Only 4% of Republicans trust Michele Bachmann with a nuke. Mayhem Some guy said something...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2011 11 Comments

The California Supreme Court has just resolved a major procedural issue as to Prop. 8, which codified the "one man, one woman" definition of marriage into the California Constitution after the California Supreme Court held that there was a state constitutional right for same-sex marriage. The...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2011 26 Comments

Thank you Jennifer, Michael, Gene, Quin, Ann, and others, for telling us that Newt Gingrich is unacceptable as a nominee because he took some positions in the past that were not conservative. I don't know where we'd end up without you. At least we have one candidate whose...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2011 9 Comments

When I saw this Michelle Bachmann ad my first thought was, "Don't go there, Michele, this will not help you."  But on second thought, why not? I have been in favor of niceness so far, but I wondering whether it's gone on long enough.  Why shouldn't the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2011 43 Comments

The Romney trolls have come out in full force since I ran my post yesterday, Why I Support Newt Gingrich. Here's an e-mail I received this morning (emphasis mine): You seem to have been a day early in your Gingrich endorsement, precisely because he has been slinking...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2011 32 Comments

Newt Gingrich appeared on the Mark Levin Show last night to address a variety of issues.  Levin has been pretty harsh towards Newt at times in the past. Thanks to The Right Scoop for the audio: I find it very interesting that while Gingrich is more than willing...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2011 2 Comments

I don't know what it is about septic trucks that brings out the best in readers.  After running a photo of a political message on a septic truck I received multiple photos from readers, including this from reader Joe who wrote: I saw the bumper sticker...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 16, 2011 32 Comments

Ann Coulter is going after Newt Gingrich now because Newt has not been sufficiently consistent over the years, and because Romney is inevitable and will beat Obama: The mainstream media keep pushing alternatives to Mitt Romney not only because they are terrified of running against him,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 16, 2011 14 Comments

The recall effort against Scott Walker is being led by United Wisconsin, which bills itself as a non-partisan group. Of course, that's nonsense, this a Democratic effort through and through, as reported by WISC Madison: Members of United Wisconsin, the group coordinating the recall effort against Gov....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 16, 2011 19 Comments

The ABC News interview with Gabrielle Giffords was worth watching except for one moment, when ABC decided that it could not put on a widely-watched full hour program without smearing Sarah Palin by trying to connect Palin's electoral map to the Giffords shooting (via Newsbusters): I...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 16, 2011 148 Comments

I have been agnostic on the Republican primary so far, but the time for choosing has arrived. For the reasons set forth below, I believe that the primaries will come down to Mitt Romney versus Newt Gingrich.  As such, the choice is not between Newt Gingrich and some...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 15, 2011 41 Comments

I was on the road and in meetings all day, with only passing opportunities to log on.  But I see a trend emerging. Bloggers and websites which support Romney, explicitly in some cases, impilicitly in others, are making lists of reasons why Newt Gingrich is not conservative enough, finding...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 15, 2011 15 Comments

From The NY Times Editors on why the Supreme Court should leave the Obamacare mandate alone: All of these issues are best resolved in the political system, not the courts. The Supreme Court ought to show judicial restraint, adhere to precedent and uphold the constitutionality of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 15, 2011 9 Comments

Reader David e-mails with the subject line "Is this a joke?" accompanied by this screenshot: I have no control over Google Ads. The good news is that Grayson wasted money advertising on a blog where everyone thinks he is a joke. While we're on the subject, let's...

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