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 bill would add four seats to the high court, bringing the total to 13, from the current 9"...
"these Proposals both individually and collectively impose an ideological orthodoxy and adherence to a Critical Race Theory (CRT) view of the world, in violation of the educational purpose of the University and faculty academic freedom"...
We're seeing a realignment of the country, with once Republican-friendly large corporate America openly siding with Democrats and pushing progressive agendas....
Donica Thomas Varner became notorious for mishandling the Gibson's Bakery case, including a bizarre email bashing the jury after the compensatory verdict but before the punitive phase....
John Doe No. 1 exposed a campus system biased against men with a 100% conviction rate. His lawsuit and publicity likely paved the way for John Doe No. 2 to get a fair hearing and a not guilty verdict years later....
Will Republicans have the guts to go after the Biden appellate court nominees to prevent SCOTUS grooming the way Democrats went after Miguel Estrada?...
It will be interesting to see if the massive disinformation campaign against Israel on campuses finally does serious damage to the general American population view of the conflict. There has been some slippage, but it might be too early to tell if it's a long-term...
