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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 July 13, 2012 29 Comments

We need to start going there.  Nothing is off limits anymore. Via Mediaite: “They really don’t want to talk about the economy now, do they?” Eric Bolling asked, before handing it off to Greg Gutfeld, who seemed somewhat amused by the whole thing amusing consider Obama is...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 13, 2012 65 Comments

It probably will not stop those who want to portray the case as racial from continuing to make claims of racial motivation in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, but the FBI has confirmed that there is no substantial evidence that George Zimmerman was racist. Via Orlando...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 13, 2012 20 Comments

Obama's new campaign talking point is to compare Mitt Romney to Richard Nixon in terms of secrecy. The Board of Editors of The San Francisco Chronicle already has weighed in on the Nixonian quality of one of the presidential candidates: The Obama White House's restrictions on media...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 13, 2012 26 Comments

He is what he's always been. He's not a nice guy who's in over his head. He always has campaigned by finding enemies and demonizing people.  It was the essence of his campaign in 2008, but at least he could cover it with words like hope and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 13, 2012 25 Comments

From reader Pam: Hi - I am a longtime reader who has never contributed, but I love the blog - especially the bumper sticker category. I just had to send this picture of an acquaintance's car - not surprisingly, the owner is from lower Fairfield County, CT...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 12, 2012 33 Comments

I think today has been clarifying.  Whatever pretense of civility existed in the Obama campaign is gone. It's okay, perfectly okay with the President for his campaign staff to call Mitt Romney a liar and potential criminal: "No," Obama press secretary Ben LaBolt said in response to a...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 12, 2012 42 Comments

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh released his report on sexual abuse at Penn State, and it was scathing.  Via State College: Louis Freeh, the former FBI director, left nothing to the imagination in his much-anticipated presentment Thursday morning. There was an effort made by the four most...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 12, 2012 14 Comments

At which point you say, "please don't give them any ideas." A second photo taken by Ryan on his drive outside Kansas City: The trailer is located on highway 71 south of Kansas City, MO. Some enterprising American decided to park a semi trailer in his field and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 11, 2012 76 Comments

I have mentioned before how Allen West is on the top 10 target list for Democrats this year, Dem SuperPAC targeting “Tea Party 10″. For that reason, among others, West is on the Operation Counterweight list, and we have a separate Focus Page with his website and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 11, 2012 57 Comments

I thought it was disrespectful and racist to boo, even on policy matters. At least that's what we're told when there is a virtual boo of Obama in the right blogosphere, or someone shouts out at Obama. Now I don't think there was a racial motive to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 11, 2012 49 Comments

that I post TaxProf's quarterly law professor blog rankings merely for informational purposes. External measures like blog traffic are not important to me. No, I blog for the personal satisfaction of expressing my views to complete strangers who communicate with me using fake names. That and that alone...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 11, 2012 6 Comments

being dangerous to the security of a totalitarian state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall be infringed." From reader Ryan: Saw the truck on an off-ramp on I-70 in Kansas City, MO. ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 10, 2012 51 Comments

Anne has written about this before, Why is Cong. Jesse Jackson, Jr. still MIA? Now even Democratic pols are wondering out loud what is going on.  Via The Hill: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s mysterious disappearance from public life led to new calls by Illinois Democrats on Tuesday...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 10, 2012 111 Comments

A lot, according to Hans Bader, who sees a coming quota system in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math enrollment: Quotas limiting the number of male students in science may be imposed by the Education Department in 2013. The White House has promised that “new guidelines will...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 10, 2012 17 Comments

Up to his usual games, via The Hill: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has scheduled a vote Tuesday to bring up legislation to extend tax relief to small businesses that increase their payrolls. Republicans question whether it is a sincere effort or just a messaging vote....

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