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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 April 16, 2011 9 Comments

On display in Madison, Wisconsin today, as related to me by reader Jim, who sent this photo:"This guy was next to me screaming for two hours. Here he is showing civility and tolerance to Sarah Palin."What can I say, I look for the good in...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 16, 2011 10 Comments

Hopefully this live feed will work for you, I'll also post updates.  Click on the large centered play button if you want to open it in a different window, or on the small play button at the bottom left if you want to view it...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 16, 2011 7 Comments

Here's why.  Despite all the vitriol from the unions and Democrats, Walker is getting Wisconsin's fiscal house in order.From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (h/t @byronyork)(emphasis mine):The property tax bill on the typical Wisconsin home would rise by less than 1% annually over the next two...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 16, 2011 27 Comments

There's not much I can add to Mark Levin's explanation of why Donald Trump does not represent the conservative or Tea Party movements.  He wasn't there when we needed him, and he helped those who were against us.So why the swirling support around Trump?Much of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 15, 2011 39 Comments

The results have just been posted in the Milwaukee County canvass, and nothing much changed from yesterday. AP reports Prosser picked up 11 more votes and is the winner. I repeat, JoAnne Kloppenburg lost.  David Prosser won.The vote margin stands at 7316, a virtually insurmountable...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 15, 2011 8 Comments

As we await the one remaining county yet to complete its canvass, comes this heartening news via JSOnline:In the wake of the state's hotly contested Supreme Court race, a sharply divided Milwaukee Election Commission voted along party lines Thursday to prohibit its own members from...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 15, 2011 4 Comments

Could tonight be the night it all comes together?Friday Night Prisoner Exchange?Is The Andrew still up for it?There was a time when the idea of an exchange was so appealing to him.He still wants one of the prisoners, worse than ever.  The other one, not so...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 14, 2011 11 Comments

The conspiracy theories run deep at Think Progress when it comes to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Koch Industries.The latest post by Lee Fang, the designated Koch investigator at Think Progress, attempts to bring David Prosser into the conspiracy as well, by claiming that recent environmental regulations...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 14, 2011 2 Comments

I have long chronicled the sad financial condition of my home State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, particularly the problem of public sector pensions.Simply put, high pensions, and the taxes needed to feed the pension system, are killing the state.  And that's not me talking,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 14, 2011 1 Comment

Last July I reported on the absurdity of federal Stimulus Plan money going to building miles of new sidewalks in Warren, Rhode Island, in areas where few people walked.Last November, I reported on the fact that the unnecessary new sidewalks were built improperly.Now I can report that...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 14, 2011 5 Comments

It should be over, like disco.(video h/t HotAir)Update:  Thanks to reader DinoRightMarie for the link to this Wall Street Journal article which points out the fallacy of the 9-to-5 movement, There Is No Male-Female Wage Gap.  The 9-to-5 movement should go the way of disco,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 14, 2011 12 Comments

Barack Obama promised us hand-to-hand combat, and his speech yesterday was the start.The nation is facing a debt crisis of historic proportions, but nothing will be done because Obama already has launched his presidential campaign.  A compromise must included serious changes to unsustainable entitlements which...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 13, 2011 15 Comments

I've had a chance to read Obama's budget speech, and have seen clips on television. I was right in my anticipation that Obama would play the blame Bush game, and that he would demonize the "Top 2%," and he did.  With gusto.But even I could...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 13, 2011 16 Comments

I did not get a chance to listen to Obama's "the end of the deficit as we know it" speech.  Karl Rove is speaking on campus tonight, and I attended a private, off-the-record meeting with Rove and all of the openly conservative faculty in this...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 13, 2011 32 Comments

If not, it's all over in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, as reported by WiscPolitics Election Blog:The canvasses from Sauk and Taylor counties have now been posted to the GAB website. But it could be until the end of today or even tomorrow before Milwaukee...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 13, 2011 11 Comments

You think dealing with insurance companies is hard, at least you have choices, for now. Once government takes over, you get what you get, just like at the airports now. And fighting with an insurance company may land you in court, but fighting with the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 13, 2011 26 Comments

Alexander Burns at Politico argues that Wisconsin in 2011 is a template for what will happen nationally in 2012, a split electorate with a narrow margin of victory:Wisconsin’s contested Supreme Court race has set in motion a drama that’s by now almost painfully familiar. It...

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