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 January 25, 2011 6 Comments

I heard Supreme Court Justice Antonin "Nino" Scalia talk many years ago at a function in Rhode Island held by the Justinian Law Society.  If I recall correctly, the topic was the "living Constitution."Scalia was both brilliant and entertaining.  He is a wonderful speaker, and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 25, 2011 25 Comments

As you know, I've expressed my doubts about Politico.  But the reality is that Politico is one of the major internet news sources and will be for the foreseeable future.While my prior criticisms applied to Politico's news operations, I also was frustrated that whenever I...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 25, 2011 3 Comments

In an event which should surprise no one, Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy in Lebanon, has taken control of the government in anticipation of indictments of senior Hezbollah officials in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri:Saad Hariri, whose government was toppled after Hezbollah...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 24, 2011 8 Comments

Thanks to reader Michael for this video, from the producer of Liberal Taxes Explained, Feminism Explained, and Meet The Liberal Elite.--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 24, 2011 4 Comments

The people have spoken, and there will be no Live Event for Obama's State of the Union address.Instead, we will have a Live Event for Paul Ryan's historic address to the nation on Tuesday night, starting at approximately 10 p.m. E.S.T.But since we don't know precisely when Congressman...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 24, 2011 12 Comments

Criticism of Supreme Court Justices is nothing new.  We do it and they do it.But the latest tactic in going after two Supreme Court Justices, Scalia and Thomas, seems out of the ordinary.  Since the first of this year we have seen three charges made.First,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 23, 2011 62 Comments

If you have noticed, I am very intolerant of cheap shots and snide comments directed at Sarah Palin, particularly when those cheap shots and snide comments come from conservative bloggers and Republican politicians.Perhaps I react this way because when Palin Derangement Syndrome first struck this...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 23, 2011 17 Comments

As you know, I don't pay much attention to blog rankings.  I'm just not into that sorta stuff.  I don't need outside validation of the worth of this blog.So imagine my surprise to see Legal Insurrection Blog moving up to the #22 spot in Technorati's...

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

First draft of Obama's upcoming State of the Union Address, as edited by the White House communications team:My Fellow Americans, I have a plan, but I can't tell you about it because you are worried about jobs.  If I really cared what you thought about...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 23, 2011 7 Comments

One of my readers has asked if we will be doing a Live Event (similar to what we did on November 2 and last January for the MA Election) for Tuesday's State of the Union address.What do you think? (Poll closes at midnight tonight)--------------------------------------------Follow me on...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 22, 2011 4 Comments

Mike Stopa was a candidate for Congress in the Republican primary in Massachusetts, and a focus of some posts here, including about his plan on how to dismantle Obamacare based on the experience in Massachusetts.Now Mike has written a column for The Boston Globe sure...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 22, 2011 47 Comments

I was going to write a post about Dana Milbank's attention-seeking column in The Washington Post about how he supposedly is going to stop writing about or even talking about Sarah Palin for the month of February.  The Milbank column really is a window into the mind of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 22, 2011 7 Comments

The 8 p.m. time slot is the premier evening news spot on cable.  For Fox News, the slot is held by Bill O'Reilly, who has become the most public face of Fox News.MSNBC is replacing Keith Olbermann in the 8 p.m. slot with Lawrence O'Donnell,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 21, 2011 13 Comments

Keith Olbermann is out at MSNBC according to a press release issued by MSNBC:STATEMENT REGARDING KEITH OLBERMANNMSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC’s...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 21, 2011 48 Comments

I have been addressing in some detail the assertion that Sarah Palin should not be seriously considered by Republican voters because Palin cannot win a general election, so I will not repeat myself.  Admittedly, I have been somewhat narrow in my focus, driven by circumstances that the "can't win" meme...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 21, 2011 4 Comments

The New START Treaty follies continue.As posted here before, in order to obtain Senate ratification, the Obama administration offered certain understandings of disputed language in the Treaty regarding defensive missile systems.  Such interpretations were inconsistent with prior Russian statements as to what the Russians understood...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 21, 2011 44 Comments

This is part of a continuing series in which I ask my readers to inform me as to possible Republican presidential candidates with whom I am not that familiar, or at least not familiar enough to make a judgment.  There is, of course, one potential...

Accessibility by WAH