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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 04, 2011 24 Comments

That's the word I'm hearing.  Even though the National Restaurant Association was willing to waive the confidentiality agreement. Updates:  CNN reports: Joel Bennett, the attorney for one the women who has accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment, said Friday that his client "made a complaint in good...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 04, 2011 21 Comments

So many are calling Cain a liar or worse for not remembering a second settlement with a woman whom he allegedly "sexually harassed."  How could he not know of a settlement? Details are dribbling out which support the conclusion that Cain was not involved and would...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 04, 2011 19 Comments

One of the accusers against Herman Cain apparently has requested that she be relieved of the confidentiality agreement she entered into with the National Restaurant Association to the extent of releasing a statement setting forth her version of what happened over a decade ago, but not...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 04, 2011 13 Comments

From an op-ed in The Washington Times by Wesley Pruden, Herman Cain and innuendos: This was once a serious country with serious newspapers, back in the day when they were edited by serious editors and a man had the right to confront an accuser before she...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 04, 2011 27 Comments

It's 8:10 a.m. Eastern, November 4, 2011, five days into the Herman Cain Scandal, and finally we have facts.Steve Deace, an anti-Cain Iowa talk show host, has made headlines which seem to corroborate that Herman Cain is a cad, as dutifully reported by ABC News,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 03, 2011 16 Comments

Eric Cantor has been a focus of verbal attacks from Democrats and the Obama administration, and has been singled out to be demonized as part of 2012 campaign strategy: NY Times: Eric Cantor Is the Democrats’ New Bogeyman Democratic Daily: Eric Cantor Becomes New Target For American Dream...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 03, 2011 6 Comments

Donald Douglas recounts his tale of being sued by copyright-lawsuit factory Righthaven, Beating Righthaven. I was aware that Donald had been sued along with dozens of others for running the infamous photo of the TSA worker checking the junk of a passenger.  I didn't blog about it because...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 03, 2011 6 Comments

The Ithaca "Can Man" no longer can make a living, as reported by The Cornell Sun: Joel Harlan — whose assistant calls him the “Can Man” — has collected empty cans and bottles from Cornell’s fraternities, as well as other locations in Ithaca and around Central...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 03, 2011 49 Comments

which prove that George W. Bush lied about his military service. History No. 1:  Dan cannot let you see the documents which he obtained from an anonymous source he cannot reveal.  But the documents, in Dan's estimation, reflect "inappropriate" conduct the exact nature of which cannot...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 03, 2011 16 Comments

From reader Don, who writes: Saw this scrawled (spray-painted) on the underside of a bridge over the Trinity River, maybe 1.5 miles from the Occupy Dallas location. I stopped to safely take a picture. Star of David with "Zionist Occupied USA" … I suspect (but can't be...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 02, 2011 44 Comments

by the behavior of numerous "conservatives" and "libertarians" on Twitter dancing on Herman Cain's (presumed) political grave. Let's sum up the "facts" as they are known right now.  Mostly unnamed people accused Herman Cain of unspecified conduct which some people who will not specify the people or...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 02, 2011 34 Comments

I've been struggling to put my finger on just what it is about how Politico handled the Herman Cain allegations that I find so offensive. Michael Walsh has a good explanation, Return of the Whipsaw, which starts and ends as such: First, posit the existence of a...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 02, 2011 15 Comments

Never in the history of humankind has there been an act as provocative and worthy of a presidential smackdown as the passage by the Congress of a Concurrent Resolution affirming "In God We Trust" as the national motto: Whereas `In God We Trust' is the official motto...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 02, 2011 39 Comments

As you know, I've been inching closer towards Newt as the not-Romney.  I don't believe being not-Romney is enough, and of all the remaining candidates, I believe that Newt has the ability to articulate a vision of this country which establishes him as the candidate to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 02, 2011 7 Comments

The one chart that explodes the myth of U.S. income inequality (h/t @CharlieSykes). The short explanation is that individual income inequality has not expanded greatly, but since high earning people tend to group together in family units, family income inequality has expanded: Next, Here's The Chart...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 02, 2011 51 Comments

Barring something truly earthshaking warranting a separate post, I'll be updating the Herman Cain story today in this post. The NY Times reports that one of Cain's accusers received a year's severance, $35,000, but that there were issues in addition to Cain that made her uncomfortable working...

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