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.
Self-conscious we much? From reader and blogger C. Dodd Harris, IV, who spotted this vehicle in Louisville, KY: Saw this today, seemed like it was up your alley. ...
One of the best July 4ths I've had in a while. I feel a sea change, after the bummer of last week. The media did its best to demoralize us, and we did a pretty good job on ourselves as well. I'm reinvigorated, and more motivated than...
The conundrum - how to be intellectually consistent that the mandate was an unconstitutional penalty to force people into commerce, yet deal with the fact that The Chief and the four liberal Justices called it a constitutional tax. I said the only solution to this pretzel...
Every year on July 4 there is a mini-parade in the neighborhood in my home town in Rhode Island, apart from the "big" parade through the center of town. Mostly it's for the neighborhood children, and it ends with ices and candy, after reciting the Pledge of...
A reader [see update] sent me the link to the article below which examines the "box checker" phenomenon in college and law school admissions. I think the same analysis applies with regard to professional advancement in fields where there is enormous pressure to diversify, such as...
Reader TowsonLawyer writes: Just in time for the Fourth of July - Lost Film from 1945 Here's the story from Richard Sullivan: 67 Years Ago my Dad shot this film along Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki capturing spontaneous celebrations that broke out upon first hearing news of the Japanese surrender....
Yet another sign of the times. From Kathy, taken near Gainesville, FL: ...
Hey, you know who is to blame for Elizabeth Warren's false claim to be Cherokee? Definitely not Elizabeth Warren if you are a defender of Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts. No, this is far deeper and vaster than Elizabeth Warren, it goes well into the world of "right wing extremists" according...
The hot news today was a story at National Journal about how the Romney campaign supposedly was Declaring Cease Fire on Health Care: In the aftermath of the Supreme Court health care ruling, the early conventional wisdom was that an unfavorable health care ruling at the...
It may seem counter-intuitive, but Upstate New York (the NY flyover country) is a key to holding the House, and will form a core of Operation Counterweight. In 2010, Republicans picked up several seats upstate; redistricting has caused the loss of one upstate seat (and...
Mia B. Love appeared on MSNBC today, and it was a pretty fair segment. As noted here before, while Jim Matheson is beatable, it's not going to be easy. Matheson falsely portrays himself as a moderate. That "outside money" rolling in mentioned at the end will not...
I guess that doesn't surprise me. Also, does Christie thread the needle on the tax/penalty issue? Or just muddle things even more? (not his fault, really) Via Mediaite: Sure. Yeah. I mean, listen, I thought all along that it was a tax. And I don’t think it’s exclusively...
It's the biggest case of them all. From reader KGB: Not a bumper sticker, I know, but an interesting campaign sign I came across in East Randolph, NY, while out for a Sunday drive. I don't know if this is a stock phrase being used around the...
A reader writes (emphasis mine): Devoted, and unregistered, reader, first time emailer. It seems the GOP has a "Read my lips" moment here with Obama promising no tax increase. The ad practically writes itself. I guess they'd never throw Bush I under the bus with the juxtaposition,...
Try to remember, and if you remember ...
Reader Tom sent me this link to Charlie Cook's assessment of the presidential campaign about a week ago, just before the Obamcare decision (emphasis mine): We are past the point where Obama can win a referendum election, regardless of whether it is on him or the...
Saving Obamacare by calling a penalty a tax has created all sorts of political contortions. What if the Supreme Court had called a dog a cat, would we then be required to call a dog a cat, particularly if it were better for us? That's where we...
