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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 December 30, 2010 16 Comments

I gave you my "predictions" for 2011 yesterday.I would not classify the following as predictions unless they come true, in which case I am a genius.  Here are some things I'm looking at in the coming year (list to be updated throughout the day).There will be...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 30, 2010 8 Comments

That is a name I had not heard in decades. When I studied in the Soviet Union many of the East European students loved the group Boney M and were surprised that none of the Americans in our group had heard of it.  To them, Boney...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 30, 2010 3 Comments

As a follow up to my post the other day regarding the reopening of a rare earth minerals mine in the U.S., China announced yesterday that it was slashing exports:China, which produces about 97 percent of the global supply of the metals used in the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 29, 2010 35 Comments

I am trying to take this advice, offered by a regular reader, to heart (emphasis mine):"Professor Jacobson,A long time ago my grandfather gave me some very good advice I often follow, but not all the time, due to my competitiveness. I am sure you have...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 29, 2010 10 Comments

Defenders of WikiLeaks have portrayed Bradley Manning and Julian Assange as heroes who only want transparency, and who did no real harm.In fact, WikiLeaks has put lives at risk and damaged international attempts to rid Zimbabwe of the Mugabe regime.  And beyond that, Wikileaks has damaged...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 29, 2010 2 Comments

It was great to clear my head this morning with a walk through Colt State Park in Bristol, Rhode Island.  I wonder what the guy in the second photo below was feeling as he dug for clams in this frigid weather.  Probably stayed focused on...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 29, 2010 7 Comments

Here are Legal Insurrection's Official predictions for 2011:Obama will give an unscripted speech announcing he is resigning to take a year-long road trip to play golf in each of the 57 states.Joe Biden, the second in line to the presidency, will become President upon Obama's resignation, and head...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 28, 2010 8 Comments

Everyone seems to be doing the "Best Of" thing this time of year.Worth a try?  If so, what?Would it be completely pretentious to do a "Best Of" my posts for the past year? If not, any favorites?(In case you were wondering, I am not taking...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 28, 2010 7 Comments

Heroes of the American Left, Bradley Manning and Julian Assange, have destroyed the best hope for ridding Zimbabwe of madman Robert Mugabe by releasing U.S. State Department cables of communications  between Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the leading opponent of Mugabe, and U.S. and E.U. officials,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 28, 2010 14 Comments

But, but, there was scientific consensus, so why is anyone questioning the theory or looking for evidence to the contrary?As reported by AP (emphasis mine):Israeli archaeologists said Monday they may have found the earliest evidence yet for the existence of modern man, and if so, it...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 28, 2010 1 Comment

over the long holiday weekend, but really need to read now that you are back at work and have all day to waste pretending you are doing work on the computer:Lame Duck Congresses - Venezuela v. U.S. "So at what point in time should global...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 28, 2010 4 Comments

Alfred Kahn has passed away.  As you travel during the holidays, shopping around for cheap airfares, you have Kahn to thank.  Kahn, a Professor at Cornell, was responsible for deregulating the airline industry.I realize all you kids think airfare competition always has been a fact...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 28, 2010 1 Comment

When the first challenges to the health care mandate were brought, the legal theories were dismissed as frivolous.  Despite numbers showing a majority against the mandate, few believed the mandate could be overturned, and the numbers had stagnated.Then earlier this month a judge in Virginia...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 27, 2010 17 Comments

That's the title of a post by Law Professor Stephen Bainbridge about Economics Professor Brad DeLong, of U.Cal Berkeley, in which Bainbridge collects links about DeLong from a variety of academic bloggers who have had the misfortune of having to deal with DeLong. I really don't...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 27, 2010 2 Comments

Taken by a reader in St. Petersburg, Florida:(Please remember my caution about taking photos while driving.)--------------------------------------------Related Posts:Bumper Stickers - The SeriesFollow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 27, 2010 54 Comments

There is a bizarre intellectual dance taking place around the topic of Barack Obama's birthplace.  The world has been artificially divided into "Birthers" and "anti-Birthers" when in fact I suspect a large percentage or even majority of the population is neither and simply wants all the evidence...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 27, 2010 7 Comments

I have posted multiple times before about how worldwide "green" technology and a variety of high tech industries were dependent on "rare earth minerals" mined almost exclusively in China.  U.S. production was shut down almost a decade ago over environmental concerns.  Among other things, the...

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