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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 24, 2023 11 Comments

The sum of our fears at a very visceral and emotional level, comforted by the people who reached out to ask how I was doing, as if I were there. They understood that there is here now....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 17, 2023 30 Comments

My appearance on the Lou Dobbs podcast: "I don't mean to laugh about it, but this is insane. You have somebody who's a complete failure, who embarrassed the university, who cost them a billion dollars, who gets caught plagiarizing, and they're going stand with her...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 06, 2023 1 Comment
The past two months I’ve frequently thought about Psalm 30, recited by Natan Sharansky in 1986 upon his release from the Soviet Gulag and transfer to West Germany and eventually Israel: “I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.”
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