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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.

This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain: Newt Gingrich has made headlines and gained supporters at the debates by taking on the media moderators, challenging the assumptions in their questions, and refusing to attack others on stage. ...

You remember the fiancé of Sharon Bialek, the one who lent credibility to her story because, although he was not involved with her 15 years ago, he was the proof the mainstream media used to prove that Bialek was financially stable and not looking for...

The Penn State football scandal is the Kitty Genovese scandal of our time. Of all the unimaginable things, can you imagine a 28 year old walking in on a child rape in progress and doing nothing to stop it? I don't mean to turn this into Phil Ochs...

I don't know whether the chalk this up to the Google algorithm, Cain campaign strategery, or just luck, but how great is it to have a Herman Cain internet ad appear on Phil Och's mocking Love Me, I'm A Liberal song at YouTube. Here's the screenshot: And here's the...

Spotted by a student reader of LI in a Cornell parking lot: ...

Commentary on the claim by Nicholas Sarkozy, with a willing acknowledgement, that Benjamin Netanyahu was a liar, from Caroline Glick (h/t reader John): Since Iran’s nuclear weapons program was first  revealed to the public in 2004, Israel has provided in-depth intelligence  information proving Iran’s malign intentions to the...

Had to do it. Not as good as 12:34 on 5/6/78, but I wasn't blogging at 12:34 p.m. on May 6, 1978. And since this post is prescheduled because I'll be in class, let this be my "love you, honey, it's so special that we could share this...

Story in NY Magazine about a longevity study of Askenazi Jews (h/t DINORightMarie at the Tip Line): An Einstein study published in August asked whether the SuperAgers, over the course of their lives, had better health habits than the general population. The answer was no; their habits were, if...

There are three branches of government, and one of the branches gets to decide who gets to be in one of the other branches.  Via The Denver Post: In a blow to Colorado Republicans that could affect election outcomes for the next decade, a judge has...

Cain-Newt-Romney all tied up, per latest CBS poll, with Cain at 18, and Newt/Romney at 15: In the Republican race for the presidential nomination, Newt Gingrich's support continues to slowly grow, and he is now tied with Mitt Romney for second place, while Herman Cain just...

Rick Perry has been right to do the talk show circuit in the wake of Wednesday's brain freeze, and he has been more impressive in the interviews I have seen in the last 24 hours than in any appearance since he announced in August.  Perhaps if Perry did...

E-mail from reader Scott: The reaction to last nights debate (and Perry’s poor performance in earlier debates) is that Perry is now disqualified from being president. If so, does that mean that Romney and Gingrich, the best debaters, are the only candidates we should consider? Does the...

Sarah Palin, Fire Eric Holder: And where is President Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder in all of this? When did he first know about the operation? In his testimony to the House Oversight Committee on May 3, 2011, Holder stated, “I probably heard about Fast and...