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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 July 04, 2011 12 Comments

Hey, it's a slow news day.  I can't even find a good Stuxnet story to write about. We have extensive hydrangea and hosta gardens at our home in Rhode Island, and I'm particularly happy with the way this Oak Leaf hydrangea is growing.   We bought it...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 04, 2011 22 Comments

What's on your mind?...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 04, 2011 7 Comments

Thanks to IsraellyCool for reminding me that today also is the 35th anniversary of the Israeli hostage rescue raid in Entebbe, in which Jonathan Nethanyahu, commander of the raid and brother of current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was killed. You know the story. I...

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

Spotted by reader Bob in Mountlake Terrace, WA.  If the drafters of the Bill of Rights had known, they would have worded the 1st Amendment to read as follows: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 03, 2011 22 Comments

Late this afternoon, the 500th person registered with this blog just two weeks after registration opened. Thanks for signing on. If only they had had our 500, who knows: Update:  In response to some reader questions, registering has nothing to do with WordPress.  If you have a WordPress...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 03, 2011 45 Comments

Communications Director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, on the anniversary of Medicare (h/t a reader in WI): But not to worry, he was using "punch" metaphorically and when he said "punch" did not really mean "punch." This guy, on the other hand, seems to have meant it (h/t HotAir): [Democratic]...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 03, 2011 10 Comments

From Robert Stacy McCain, on the eve of the 7 millionth visit to The Other McCain: One of the common complaints of newbie bloggers is that it’s impossible for them to break through into the top ranks of the blogosphere, because Big Bloggers hog up all the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 03, 2011 24 Comments

The New York Times and New York Magazine have the long knives out for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. But tell me, what precisely is it the DA's office did wrong in the Strauss-Kahn case? There was a quick indictment and serious terms to home confinement based upon...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 03, 2011 21 Comments

About those lackluster Republican presidential candidate fundraising numbers. I think I'm fairly typical.  I'm sitting on my wallet because the field is not complete, or if it is complete, we don't yet know it.  And yes, there's a lack of excitement in the current field.  The most solid...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 03, 2011 19 Comments

Spotted in Franklin, TN, by reader Linda, who writes: "[A]s a native Nashvillian, I am offended by the message." ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 02, 2011 18 Comments

I still can't put aside Obama's press conference earlier this week. Obama was seething with mockery and disdain for almost everyone other than himself, with Republicans in Congress a focus. To say that the press conference was not presidential is an understatement. Mark Halperin was right,...

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

There is a really interesting article by Sean Trende at Real Clear Politics regarding congressional redistricting. The common mainstream wisdom has been that redistricting really is not helping Republians that much, and that Democrats even may gain a seat or two nationwide.  But Trend details how...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 02, 2011 21 Comments

Obama is planning on 5 1/2 more years in office, so he can complete what he has not yet finished. At a campaign fundraiser on June 30, Obama made these comments, as reported byReal Clear Politics (emphasis mine): "And, Philadelphia, I know there are some of you...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 02, 2011 3 Comments

Spotted by reader Verlin in Sweetwater, TN: ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2011 9 Comments

This ad by Crossroads GPS, for which Karl Rove consults, has been running very heavily in upstate NY. It's critically important that these type of ads run early before Obama starts spreading his hoped-for billion dollars around, the unions spend their hundreds of millions, and Hollywood/Wall...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2011 19 Comments

Dominick Strauss-Kahn was released today on his own personal recognizance, as detailed in The NY Times: In a letter sent to Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers and filed with Justice Michael J. Obus on Friday, prosecutors outlined some of what they had discovered about Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s accuser, poking...

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