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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.

and it is Ithaca, in about two weeks after a summer in Rhode Island. This is Rhode Island, at the beach near my house a few days ago at dusk: This is Ithaca, on a street near my house a few weeks ago during a short return...

There was a shooting at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin this afternoon.  According to reports, seven people are dead,including the gunman, who was killed by police. At this time not a lot more details are known.  Please feel free to keep us updated in the comments....

bumper sticker. From reader MKReagan: I thought you might enjoy this homemade Chik-Fil-A bumper sticker I spotted this AM, Bealls parking lot, Palm Coast FL. American ingenuity at its finest! ...

The Romney campaign has started a Twitter rapid response user account @RomneyResponse and associated Tumblr site. Given how Twitter can move an issue in minutes, Team Romney is smart to get more active. John Nolte at Breitbart.com has some good advice, much of which centers upon hunting the...

From reader Paula: I really enjoy your blog, I don’t write much, or comment much, but I appreciate all you do! We are vacationing in Lincoln City, Oregon, and while we were down in Newport, Oregon, today, I saw these stickers on a car with, yes,...

I'm not sure this helps. After this, an apology without a lecture would have been better. I would suggest someone download it, because I have a feeling it will not be up long. (h/t walnutdoor17 in the Tip Line) ...

Love and kisses from the RNC, via The Hill: The Republican National Committee (RNC) sent the Democratic National Committee (DNC) a birthday cake on Friday, but the DNC sent it back. The cake read "you didn't bake this" over a picture of President Obama. Text written in...

Very nice video production by Jack Gately appearing at Red Mass Group: Update:  You knew this was coming, from a columnist at The Nation:  'Boston Herald' vs. Elizabeth Warren: Will Sexism Win?  Oh yes, because catching a candidate for Senate falsely claiming minority status and making outlandish rants...

Carbonite famously dropped Rush Limbaugh on a Saturday Night at the height of the Sandra Fluke controversy.  Carbonite became the poster child for the Rush boycott movement organized by Media Matters, which coordinated the effort with so-called independent groups. At the time I examined Carbonite's SEC...

Via The Wall Street Journal: The U.S. unemployment rate was rose to 8.3% in July and a broader measure ticked up to 15%, even as the economy added 163,000 jobs. Why the increase? The key reason is because the two numbers come from separate reports. The number...

We've seen plenty of plays on the "O" in words, but this bumper sticker is a double. From commenter martywd, a footnoted email: Today, when leaving our Public Library situated in a 'burb just north of the *Bluest City in Texas I saw this pickup just screaming...

From A.F. Branco (reprinted with permission): ...