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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 February 27, 2011 5 Comments

Think Progress sent a videographer to the Tea Party Patriots Policy Summit, and tracked down Tim Pawlenty.  Think Progress surely thought it would get one of those ambush type interviews where the candidate says something he regrets, but in fact in this case Think Progress...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 27, 2011 2 Comments

Well, maybe with the Libyans and others in the Middle East who, according to The New York Times, have embraced this Israeli spoof of Muammar Gaddafi:A satirical YouTube clip mocking Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s megalomania is fast becoming a popular token of the Libya uprising across...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 27, 2011 14 Comments

In the aftermath of the overthrow of the Mubarak regime in Egypt, Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post penned a meme which has become common among the mainstream media and left-blogosphere, that The GOP loves freedom, but not for Egypt:The conservative mantra has been: Obama...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 27, 2011 47 Comments

There's a reason this blog is called Legal Insurrection.  An insurrection by definition is illegal, but that is exactly what some police union members in Wisconsin have threatened in support of fellow public sector unions.The video below show a policeman (presumably off-duty but wearing what looks like a...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 26, 2011 40 Comments

Protests in support of Wisconsin public sector unions were organized by MoveOn.org and labor unions today.Promoters, such as David Dayen at Firedoglake, were predicting a million-person turnout nationwide.  But reports as of 7:00 E.S.T. today make clear that other than in Madison, Wisconsin, the crowds were sparse.The turnout...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 26, 2011 9 Comments

This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain:And now we go deeper into the linguistic gymnastics which are required to avoid being called a racist.  Having covered Black Friday, Black Hole, Providence Plantations, Rejigger, Gobbledygook, and "No...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 26, 2011 18 Comments

The folks at Firedoglake were very excited about the story that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was kicked out of a restaurant in Madison, based on a report by a blogger in Madison:Sometimes, it’s good to leave detached, cerebral meta-analyses of politics aside and just get...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 26, 2011 7 Comments

Spotted in Ithaca this morning:And while you're at it, don't you miss the old civility? --------------------------------------------Related Posts:Bumper Stickers - The SeriesFollow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

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

I'm sure the Iranian Minister of Whatever will soon announce that Iran has completely cured its Stuxnet problem.But that announcement will have to wait, because Iran is too busy right now unloading nuclear fuel rods from the Bushehr nuclear reactor, even though the reactor was...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 25, 2011 16 Comments

A pro-union blogger impersonated David Koch in order to get through to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.  The blogger, pretending to be Koch, made numerous inflammatory and outrageous comments hoping to get a reaction from Walker.  The blogger recorded the phone call, and then released the phone...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 25, 2011 10 Comments

What is Obama doing?No, I mean, "what" is he "doing"?  As in, is he doing anything?The Middle East is in flames, our domestic energy production is hurting as oil prices rise, job creation is almost non-existent, the deficit and national debt are out of control, people are...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 25, 2011 15 Comments

George Soros made his fortune by breaking the British pound and other manipulative currency trading, and became known as "The man who broke the Bank of England."  Yet this currency speculator who destroys for the sake of money is a hero of the left-wing because...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 25, 2011 16 Comments

Aroma Cafe is an Israeli chain of espresso bars which has expanded internationally, including in the U.S.:Being Israeli, Aroma Cafe has come under attack (h/t AussieDave) by the Boycott Divestment Sanction movement of anti-Israeli activists.  Watch as the moonbats protest outside an Aroma Cafe location in New...

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

The Providence, RI, School Board voted tonight to send layoff notices to every teacher in the school district, approving a plan about which I posted earlier, Providence Teachers Union Head Compares Layoff Notices To Pearl Harbor Attack. The notices are required to be sent by...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 24, 2011 0 Comments

Well worth the read, Doug Mataconis:We Must Stop Those Evil Koch Brothers From Helping Expand Individual Liberty.--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 24, 2011 15 Comments

Tim Pawlenty is taking a leading and unflinching public position supporting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in the battle with public sector unions.As pointed out a The Hill, Pawlenty has been more aggressive and consistent at defending Walker:Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) sought Thursday to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 24, 2011 6 Comments

Thanks to Instapundit. for reminding me that it was just two years ago that Rick Santelli fired off the Rant Heard 'Round The World:It gets better with time, and applies equally to the public sector unions which expect taxpayers to subsidize pensions and benefits which...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 24, 2011 6 Comments

The video below (h/t Markos Krugman) has received a lot of attention because the pro-union protester called someone who apparently supported Gov. Scott Walker a "bad Jew."But I found equally interesting the woman's response when the person she called a "bad Jew" asked her if...

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