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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 August 25, 2011 16 Comments

Wisconsin Justice Ann Walsh Bradley accused Justice David Prosser of using an illegal "chokehold" on her.  At the time, I pointed out that if the charge was not sustained, and Bradley falsely had accused Prosser of using a potentially life threatening "chokehold," Bradley needed to step...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 25, 2011 11 Comments

Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO of Apple, likely for good. What a lesson Apple holds.  I've never bought an Apple computer or "device" (although I did get an iPod as a gift), but I'll never forget my amazement in law school in the early 1980s...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 25, 2011 20 Comments

John Conyers (D-Mich), via The Hill, talking about West Virginia: “There’s a big campaign going on about how you clean coal, and we want to examine that as critically and fairly as we can, but here’s the problem: I’ve been to West Virginia, and that’s about...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 24, 2011 17 Comments

Rudy famously waited too long in 2008, by skipping Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, assuming he would win big in Florida.  He didn't, because by the time the primaries arrived in Florida, Rudy was an also ran. Back in July I suggested that Mitt Romney...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 24, 2011 7 Comments

It's not often I thank Think Progress, but thanks for this video interview of Allen West on the issue of Obama foreign policy in Libya and the Middle East.  Think Progress, with its videographer following West on his trip to Israel, figured they'd get good...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 24, 2011 13 Comments

Someone created a faux Paul Krugman Google+ account and posted the following: People on twitter might be joking, but in all seriousness, we would see a bigger boost in spending and hence economic growth if the earthquake had done more damage. The message sent out on Twitter...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 24, 2011 28 Comments

What a guy.  He not only saved Nancy Reagan when she was falling, he also gave a speech  on the role of government which should be remembered as the kick off of the Marco Rubio for President campaign, we just don't know what year yet. Update: ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 24, 2011 11 Comments

I posted on Saturday about Alumni Resignations at Widener Law School In Wake of Connell Case. I noted that Widener had confirmed that "[a] member of the Board of Overseers for the School of Law and a member of the School of Law Campaign Subcommittee have...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 24, 2011 5 Comments

Thanks to reader Michael for the photo of a car he spotted in Melbourne, Florida. What is it about Melbourne, Florida?  ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 23, 2011 31 Comments

How could I not. Twitter is abuzz.  My tweets have been momentous and perceptive.  Not to mention prescient:   Did anything actually happen? Update:  The President is safe: ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 23, 2011 11 Comments

I was right when I said Republicans should take the debt deal, as bad as it was, because otherwise any negative consequences would provide Obama an excuse for his own failures. And I was right. Polling in the three weeks since the deal was announced has shown...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 23, 2011 12 Comments

You doubted she would, after working for The Wall Street Journal in London. But it is to be. Mark your calendars for September 6....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 23, 2011 9 Comments

When they say Boycott Divest and Sanction Israel, they don't really mean it.  Those are just code words for Destroy Israel. Below is a video of a demonstration in London as part of the BDS(D) movement, via @EliLake, who notes At the link is this image: And this video. ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 23, 2011 5 Comments

It's close to over, as prosecutors have moved to dismiss the indictment finding the alleged victim to be truth-challenged: When they moved Monday to drop the biggest case on  their docket, the woman was portrayed as its fatal weakness. She "has not been  truthful on matters great...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 23, 2011 6 Comments

You know how much Obama loves windmills, and how overblown is the future of wind power. In Britain they have been pushing wind power far harder and longer than we have, and it is turning into a fiasco of subsidies from the windless masses to the winded-gentry. Anthony...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 22, 2011 15 Comments

Contrary to rebel claims, Saif al-Islam, son and heir apparent of Moammar al-Qaddafi, has not been captured and is free and talking to reporters in Tripoli. Video was shown on Fox News and CNN of Saif al-Islam at a hotel in Tripoli.  Saif claimed that a "trap"...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 22, 2011 17 Comments

Makes sense.  Very good guy, but didn't seem to have his heart in it. Via ABC: After much speculation and some pressure from fellow Republicans, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin and the House Budget Committee Chairman, says he is NOT running for President. "I sincerely appreciate the support from...

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