Image 01 Image 03
Sign In or RegisterLogout

Author: William A. Jacobson

Profile photo

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 March 28, 2011 31 Comments

Guess what?  The Legislative Reference Bureau published the Wisconsin budget repair bill Friday, and as the law provides, the Governor is taking the position the law is in effect.And he's stopped withholding union dues as of today, even though there are more court hearings tomorrow. ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 28, 2011 9 Comments

It may be my first memory of an album (image right), played when I was a child at my aunt and uncle's house in the mid-60s.I always thought the woman on the cover was the "north country girl" of the song with that title.She's died, and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 28, 2011 3 Comments

The Obama administration declined to use military force in Libya until obtaining the authorization of the U.N. Security Council.  Put aside for now whether such authorization was necessary and whether U.S. Congressional authorization also was needed.The U.S. and coalition offensive military action clearly exceeds the mandate...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 28, 2011 3 Comments

In no particular order:Meghan McCain proves she is a fool who will do anything, including publish falsehoods about me, to get attention. (Okay, not this weekend, but still a point.)Anyone who is against D.C. statehood hates blacks and gays.Media Matters proves that what we always...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 28, 2011 6 Comments

From The Muqata:Talmud Study now Mandatory in South Korea Close to 50 million people live in South Korea, and everyone learns Gemara (Talmud) in school. "We tried to understand why the Jews are geniuses, and we came to the conclusion that it is because they...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 28, 2011 19 Comments

Spotted in French Lick, Indiana, by reader Robert, just days ago.  And they didn't even wait for Obama's speech tonight:Somehow, I have this sneaking suspicion they probably blame Bush:--------------------------------------------Related Posts:Bumper Stickers - The SeriesFollow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 27, 2011 11 Comments

Six hours in the car will do it.  Pretty much unable to string sentences together.Was going to say something about the policy of stayawayism and non-regimechangism in Syria in contrast to the non-stayawayism and regimechangism in Egypt and Libya.Was going to say something more about the legal...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 27, 2011 4 Comments

Photos of the car of a reader, who writes:Up top is the Snow Cone (parachute and wings) of the 82nd Airborne Division (currently a member of, on leave from Camp Clark, Khowst, Afghanistan). On the left, next to my Maui sticker is the Major League...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 26, 2011 5 Comments

I liked her, even when I disagreed with her.And she was not afraid to speak out, and she paid the price:But she was a class act:--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 26, 2011 14 Comments

The legal situation in Wisconsin is a mess.  Judge Maryann Sumi preemptively issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) which she thought (see below) would stop the publication of the budget repair bill, and therefore prevent the bill from becoming law.  This was an unprecedented move, and none...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 25, 2011 18 Comments

The Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) in Wisconsin has published the budget repair bill which is subject to a TRO against the Secretary of State.The LRB felt that the law could be published, and take effect tomorrow [see Update], because the LRB was not a named...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 25, 2011 12 Comments

Supporters of Democrats making death threats against Republican legislators? Snooze.Democratic protesters chasing down and cornering a Republican state Senator outside the State House? Snooze.A Democratic blogger engaging in possible identity theft in order to embarrass the Governor? Snooze.Democratic Senators fleeing to another state to prevent...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 25, 2011 7 Comments

In addition to the central donation site linked in a prior post, Wisconsin Republicans have set up The Recall Integrity Center (h/t Chris Cillizza):The Recall Integrity Center provides an outlet for those who have been unfairly targeted by the far left.Please submit videos, recordings, and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 25, 2011 23 Comments

I have highlighted the romanticized view of uprisings in the Middle East taken by NY Times reporters and pundits, projecting Western liberal values onto what in many cases were fundamentalist and virulently anti-Semitic Islamists:NY Times Whitewashes Return of Anti-Semitic Egyptian Cleric Who's Afraid Of The...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 25, 2011 4 Comments

She's attacking me, but in fact makes a complete fool of herself, which seems to be her specialty.Details in an update to Kathleen's prior post, Meghan McCain.--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

Accessibility by WAH