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.
The great thing about having your own blog is that you get to quote yourself. The title is a quote from my interview this morning with Lee Rayburn of WHCU 870 AM in Ithaca. ...
Forgotten in the publicity surrounding the jury verdict in the case against George Zimmerman is that a perjury charge against his wife, Shellie Zimmerman, remains active. According to the State Court docket, the case is scheduled for trial August 21. I have calls in to the prosecutors...
One of the most popular liberal reactions to the finding that George Zimmerman was not guilty is to posit the question of how the case would have been treated differently if Trayvon Martin were white. The question always is answered by the author that the shooting...
I'll be brief. I can't add much to what I've written the past 17 months about the facts, evidence, law, witnesses, lawyers, judges, politics, and media. So here you go: Despite the heated demands of powerful societal forces and the State, six women just said No, and thereby did justice. Amen....
There should be a special prosecutor appointed to investigate this special prosecution....
Really, Kirsten Powers? Really? https://twitter.com/kirstenpowers10/status/356480844384317440 After three weeks of hearing and watching the actual evidence in the case and reading the jury instructions, all I can do is shake my head in disbelief....
"Obviously there was a conspiracy to conceal the truth" From the post on April 3, 2012, From seeking justice to obstruction of justice....
I watched the verdict come while on a 5-hour flight delay at O'Hare last night. Had there not been a delay, I would have missed it. Funny how things work. What amazed me is that prior to the verdict, I heard numerous people talking openly about...
Update - Column re-posted...
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son? Georgetown student advocates death for Republicans over student loan rates And where have you been my darling young one? Florida transgender student barred from women’s room after anonymous complaint UNC-Chapel Hill Students Jump To Defend Mixed-Sex Dorm Rooms and Bathrooms I've stumbled...
We noted several days ago the latest "who bombed it?" mystery, Did Israel just destroy Syrian depot holding Russian missiles? While answers remain sketchy, unnamed U.S. sources reportedly are pointing to Israel, via CNN: A series of explosions on July 5 at a critical Syrian port was...
she cried "Oops, Oops, Oops." From John: CNET DC Metro Station Northern Virginia April 24, 2013 Bumper sticker in the upper right is an OOPS using the Dear leaders "O" logo in place of the letter O. Stunned to see this at this location. ...
Two big things have happened this week (so far). First, yesterday the 200,000th comment was posted at Legal Insurrection: 200,000 comments is not a lot for many websites which use third party platforms like Disqus. We have considered many times, and ultimately rejected, the third-party platforms in...
The Court has released the final Jury Instructions that will be read to the jury this afternoon. For background on the argument leading up to the instructions, see Zimmerman Trial: The Jury Instructions. If Zimmerman wins, these sections of the Instructions likely will be decisive (full Instructions...
I have long predicted that the central, yet in some ways least debated, issue in the Gang of 8 bill was the pathway to citizenship. There was unanimity on the Democratic side, but not on the Republican side. Democrats repeatedly threw down the gauntlet that no...
As expected, the Judge in the George Zimmerman case ruled that in addition to Second Degree Murder, she will instruct the jury on the lesser included offense of Manslaughter, as required by Florida case law. In a surprise move this morning, the prosecution asked the Judge...
I urged Liz Cheney to run for Senate against Mike Enzi the other night because I didn't like the sense of entitlement exhibited by his supporters, Run, Liz Cheney, Run. I noted that I had nothing against Enzi, and that I didn't know much about him. In...
