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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 02, 2012 8 Comments

From reader Bronwyn: I saw this car at the Medical Center in Orange County, CA. I know our county leans more right than the rest of California, but with all the depressing news about our state I found this car a slight glimmer of hope. Although,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2012 21 Comments

Anyone who has seen Elizabeth Warren deal with the Cherokee issue knows the routine -- immediately change the subject, answer the question you wanted asked not the question actually asked, keep talking rapidly, and most of all, act as if you have not just been...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2012 189 Comments

On its face, Chief Justice John Roberts' Obamacare decision was a strange bird. A mandate to purchase a product from a private company under penalty for non-compliance, which did not purport to be a revenue measure and which was enacted politically only because it was not...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2012 11 Comments

I was interviewed for the Roderick Dean Show. We covered a variety of subjects, including Geroge Zimmerman, some background about me, and Legal Insurrection in general. I also answer the mystery surrounding what is a "clinical law professor." Listen to internet radio with Roderic Deane on Blog...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2012 22 Comments

The New York Times declares that the Bain attacks are working, Bain Attacks Make Inroads for President Propelled by a torrent of blistering television advertisements, President Obama is successfully invoking Mitt Romney’s career at Bain Capital to raise questions about his commitment to the middle class,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2012 33 Comments

Via @DrMartyFox: Via Newsbusters: And the laughs continue: Obama Budget chief Jack Lew refuses under intense Chris Wallace grilling to admit Obamacare funding mechanism is a tax. Telling.— Brit Hume (@Kimsfirst) July 1, 2012 ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2012 9 Comments

From reader W: Following the bailout of the ACA by Chief Justice Roberts I came across this sticker (on the hood no less!) on my neighbor's car in Greenwich, People's Republic of Connecticut this morning. I thought you and other LI readers would get a kick out...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 30, 2012 88 Comments

There's not much I can add to what I have already said about the unreality of the reaction to the Obamacare decision by the conservative silver lining crowd. A growing chorus understands. John Yoo: Conservatives are scrambling to salvage something from the decision of their once-great judicial hero...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 30, 2012 45 Comments

From Dr. Jack Kevorkian's lawyer comes possibly the worst form of attorney advertising ever, a massive play of the race card designed to drum up business in the Detroit area. (h/t OcTEApi in Tip Line) Did anyone question whether George Romney was qualified to be President?  Hello Geoffrey Fieger,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 30, 2012 42 Comments

Scott Walker is not going to do anything to implement Obamacare in Wisconsin until after the November elections: Gov. Scott Walker pledged again Thursday not to phase in any parts of President Barack Obama’s signature health care reform law ahead of November’s elections even though the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 30, 2012 25 Comments

From reader Bob: Another interesting sticker...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 29, 2012 58 Comments

I have expressed my frustration with those who see some salvation in the supposed advancement of constitutional federalism in the ruling by Chief Justice Roberts and the four conservative dissenters that the Commerce and Necessary and Proper Clauses did not justify forcing people into commerce. Those...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 29, 2012 27 Comments

We all know about the sexual assault on Lara Logan during celebrations over Mubarak's resignation, see my post It Could Happen Anywhere, But It Happened There.  There also were the cases of the French journalist Caroline Sinz and US-Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy assaulted in Tahrir Square, see...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 29, 2012 24 Comments

When it comes to the House, Republicans don't need a wave.  Via Charlie Cook: One might have expected that two years after Republicans picked up 63 House seats—the biggest gain in a midterm election since 1938—Democrats would be on track to win back a boatload of those...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 29, 2012 50 Comments

The self-delusion that yesterday's affirmation of Obamacare's mandate under the taxing power of Congress was a conservative victory continues in full force today.  (See links and quotes at HotAir and Instapundit) Judicial restraint now means ignoring the will of Congress as to the purposes and structure...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 28, 2012 70 Comments

Makes many of the points I made today, including rejecting the delusion that this was a victory: ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 28, 2012 143 Comments

Some well-meaning people are peddling the notion that today's Obamacare decision was a long term victory, that we lost the battle but won the war, that there was some master plan by Chief Justice Roberts to gut the expansion of Commerce Clause power under the...

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