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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 October 12, 2010 3 Comments

A message so BIG it couldn't fit on a bumper.Spotted in Ithaca, not far from my house:--------------------------------------------Related Posts:Bumper Stickers - The SeriesFollow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 12, 2010 4 Comments

The organizers of the failed Gaza flotilla last June are at it again, planning a flotilla to Gaza next January.  At least this time they are honest that it has nothing to do with humanitarian efforts.As reported by The Associated Press:Pro-Palestinian groups plan to sail a flotilla of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 11, 2010 5 Comments

As of now, Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on October 13, and to conduct a joint appearance with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on October 14.The situation is very tense and provocative.Ahmadinejad will go to South Lebanon as far south...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 11, 2010 12 Comments

Should the name of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations be changed to State of Rhode Island?Background here, Is Rhode Island's Name Racist?AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE (CHANGING THE OFFICIAL NAME OF THE STATE)(Section 1 of Article XIV of the Constitution)Approval...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 11, 2010 19 Comments

Obama in San Francisco, April 2008, regarding people in small towns who are frustrated that things aren't going their way::And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 10, 2010 19 Comments

Obama -- who actually did take substantial illegal foreign money for his campaign -- is accusing Republicans of being quite unAmerican for supposedly taking foreign money as part of this election cycle.Put aside the sheer audacity and falsity of this dopiness.This is exactly what I predicted time and time again...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 10, 2010 10 Comments

Could this be the year in which I completely shed myself of the dubious distinction of splitting the year between Congressional Districts controlled by Patrick Kennedy and Maurice Hinchey?We know Patrick is gone, but are recent reports (via HotAir) of Hinchey's demise accurate?First, some background...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 09, 2010 36 Comments

This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain:Here we go again.I have posted before about the idiocy of playing the race card not based on the words actually used, but based upon the sound of the words,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 09, 2010 21 Comments

Jerry Brown was caught on audio agreeing with an aide who called Meg Whitman a "whore." (Audio below at 1:55)Understandably, all the attention is focused on the "whore" comment.  But there was another Brown insult which has not received any attention.  Beginning at 3:10 of the audio, Brown...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 08, 2010 3 Comments

Again, not here.  In Afghanistan.  By the Taliban.As reported by Bill Roggio:The Taliban have murdered the head of Kunduz province, along with 14 other people, in a bombing today at a mosque in the neighboring province of Tahkar. The governor had been outspoken in his...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 08, 2010 10 Comments

I posted yesterday about Jon Ralston, the high-profile Nevada political reporter and talk show host, and an exchange I had with him regarding whether he was accusing Sharron Angle of "race-baiting" over a television ad Angle ran on illegal immigration.  When I pointed out that Ralston appeared to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 08, 2010 7 Comments

I don't have time today to get into detail on the Michigan trial court decision upholding the Obamacare mandate under the Commerce Clause.  The decision can be boiled down to these three words:  "Inactivity is Activity."Here is the money quote from the decision (at pp....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 08, 2010 15 Comments

I was thinking of holding this one back for a special occasion, but I just couldn't wait.  If the world were to end tomorrow, I would not want you to perish without having seen this.Sent to me by a reader, this photo was taken in the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 08, 2010 6 Comments

What is it with my law school classmates?First it was Eliott Spitzer.Now it's Congressman John Adler.  No, not in that way.Adler, a Democrat from southern New Jersey, is a freshman congressman, swept into office on Obama's coattails in a conservative district.  Adler came out early against...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 07, 2010 21 Comments

I previously posted about how Gloria Allred exposed her client, Nicky Diaz, to deportation and criminal prosecution by taking Diaz public in such a high profile way in order to damage Meg Whitman's campaign.Last night Greta Van Susteren continued her pummelling of Allred on the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 07, 2010 5 Comments

Well, it's not like it's been all love and kisses, even when he had overwhelming majorities.  As reported by The L.A. Times (emphasis mine):Republican majority in Congress would mean "hand-to-hand combat" on Capitol Hill for the next two years, threatening policies Democrats have enacted to stabilize...

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