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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 March 16, 2011 1 Comment

That statement about public employee union attitudes towards government fiscal health resulted in a county board chairman in Wisconsin being forced to step down (via JSOnline):Charles Rayala's resignation as Vilas County board chairman was made official at Tuesday's monthly board meeting - a decision he made as...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 16, 2011 6 Comments

Via Israel Matzav, a translation of the Hebrew prayer hung above the bed of 11-year old Yoav Fogel, murdered in his bed by an intruder who also killed several members of his family, including his baby sister, as they slept:"May it be Your will, L-rd G-d and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 16, 2011 1 Comment

From Hambone:"Hambone is a not-so-benevolent dictator. He will allow almost anything submitted as long as there is no profanity. Language is only offensive if it offends someone. The test is, if your comments would offend Hambone's grandmother they will be deleted and you will be...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 16, 2011 12 Comments

GUEST POST by Matthew Knee:Professor Jacobson asked me to comment on the DKos/PPP poll regarding big labor's recall efforts in Wisconsin. The questions are mostly fine, but I have a few thoughts on the results that might be helpful.Wisconsin recalls do not work like the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 16, 2011 5 Comments

The Daily Beast - Newsweek merger apparently is not doing too well in terms of web traffic, with Newsweek plunging and The Daily Beast stagnant.How desperate is The Daily Beast to make the Newsweek merger work?When I clicked over from a link at HotAir, it brought up this pop-up,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 15, 2011 36 Comments

Thanks to a reader in Wisconsin for sending me this link to a press release from the Recall Jim Holperin Committee and video posted at the website of conservative talk show host Charlie Sykes, regarding intimidation efforts directed against Republicans seeking signatures on recall petitions against one...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 15, 2011 1 Comment

During the so-called Gaza flotilla last summer, I pointed out that the main goal was to bust the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, in which ship heading for Gaza would be inspected for weapons, to open up sea lanes for shipping large quantities of weapons...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 14, 2011 7 Comments

The tape of NPR officials trying to pry money from people who presented themselves as Muslim Brotherhood inspired, anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish advocates, has damaged NPR tremendously, as reflectred in my prior post, NPR Please Meet The Fork Which Is About To Be Stuck Into You...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 14, 2011 27 Comments

Or should I say, the first Media Matters post about me. regarding my post, The Great Tractorcade That Wasn't. And written by none other than the lead blogger there, Eric Boehlert: Right-wing Blogger Doesn't Know What "Brigade" Means. Doesn't Media Matters, with all its new...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 14, 2011 7 Comments

Ann Althouse posted a video about Ronald Reagan's criticism of the Berkeley protests in the 1960s, which includes this comment by Michael Rossman (at 1:22 of the clip):"He won by pandering to a citizenry that is outraged by what these terrible insolent ungrateful children were doing on the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 14, 2011 4 Comments

Here is a recap of the Polling 101 series of Guest Posts by Matthew Knee, which ran last week:How People Answer PollsSamples & Margin of ErrorHandling BiasEvaluating The Public Employee Union PollsYou Can't Learn Much From Asking People Their IdeologyThe series was a real eye-opener...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 13, 2011 37 Comments

From some of the reports, one would think Wisconsin farmers had turned out en masse with their tractors to side with public sector employee unions against Gov. Scott Walker and the Republicans who control the legislature.The New York Times reported that "Farmers descended on the Capitol...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 13, 2011 15 Comments

.... in order to achieve a racial and ethnic mix of players which looks more like America.Sorry, I meant, the City of Dayton, Ohio, to lower police test score thresholds, a move which even the local NAACP chapter opposes:The Dayton Police Department is lowering its testing...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 13, 2011 16 Comments

The 400 wealthiest people control more wealth than that controlled by bottom economic half the population. Michael Moore said it, and PolitiFact checked it, so it must be true.So what?There is no limit to wealth in a free-market, capitalist society, unlike a socialist society where government...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 12, 2011 17 Comments

Via The Cornell Insider:"[The Cornell University Program Board] is excited to present An Evening with Keith Olbermann ’79 on March 29th at 6:00 PM in Bailey Hall! Olbermann needs no introduction, but in case you’re unaware, he is a writer and political commentator who until...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 12, 2011 17 Comments

stabs a three-month old infant to death?Children have been killed in war before, unfortunately.But the thought of the person or people who stood over her, and what was going through their minds as they cut her, is just unimaginable.More of the photos released by the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 12, 2011 7 Comments

I'll be in meetings most of the day, so I will not be able to follow the planned return of the Fleebagger14 to Madison, and the protests planned.I'm sure they will be "massive."Comments will be put through, so please feel free to keep each other...

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