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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 December 22, 2010 1 Comment

This is the sort of thing which infuriates taxpayers, with good reason.No one is against fair compensation and fair pensions for firefighters, but once again union rules provide for abusive tactics, as highlighted in this Providence Journal story about two management fire officials in Providence...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 22, 2010 11 Comments

This is not the post you probably were expecting from me given my harsh -- and as always prescient -- criticism of Republicans in the lame duck session.  I was screaming "capitulation!" before screaming "capitulation!" was fashionable.Notwithstanding the lame duck session, give Mitch McConnell some credit...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 22, 2010 4 Comments

Taken by a reader in Clinton, CT, around Thanksgiving:--------------------------------------------Related Posts:Bumper Stickers - The SeriesFollow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 21, 2010 1 Comment

Eric Massa, the former New York Democratic Congressman who resigned in disgrace after admitting that he "tickled" staffers inappropriately and who accused Rahm Emanuel of touching him in the shower, has been named to the list of the nation's Worst Bosses.As reported by the Rochester Democrat and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 21, 2010 4 Comments

Three law professors have established a website (h/t RightCoast via Instapundit) where people can calculate how much they are saving by the extension of the current marginal tax rates and then donate that amount to one of four selected charities.The website, GiveItBackForJobs.org, states that the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 21, 2010 7 Comments

The lame duck session has been a pathetic joke on Republicans and conservatives who thought they won the elections in November.  An illegitimate Democratic House and near filibuster-proof Democratic Senate have run roughshod on most issues, and several Republicans have helped them along.Unfortunately, we have...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 21, 2010 2 Comments

I have posted numerous times before about John J. "Jack" McConnell, Jr., nominated to the R.I. District Court by Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed.McConnell, by far the largest campaign donor ever nominated to the federal judiciary, has been opposed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 21, 2010 33 Comments

12-24-2010:  Welcome Matthew Yglesias readers.  I address Yglesias' defense of why he called Haley Barbour racist, and his attack on me, in an update below.  And I see that Ta-Nehisi Coates is defending Yglesias, so I'll address that too.-----------------------------------------------------1947 was the year in which the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 21, 2010 4 Comments

I was a guest on The Teri O'Brien show last Sunday. We had a pretty entertaining conversation, touching on all the non-controversial issues of the day, like earmarks, the tax deal, DADT, Meghan McCain, Sarah Palin, and caribou.I even was nominated for clip of the day for...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 20, 2010 11 Comments

I'm not talking about DADT or the military troops.I'm talking about the political troops who worked their rear ends off to take back the House of Representatives and narrow the gap in the Senate, only to watch Barack Obama and Harry Reid run circles in...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 20, 2010 6 Comments

Republicans in the Senate collectively agreed that there would be no votes on any legislation unless and until expiring marginal tax rates and the budget continuing resolution were passed.That agreement held together through the passage of "tax deal" and the defeat of the Omnibus bill.Then...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 20, 2010 7 Comments

As I mentioned before, I was selected to be the judge of the 2010 PUK Awards run by iOwnTheWorld.Twenty five images were selected from the nominees, and from those 25, I selected a winner and 9 others to round out the Top 10.  There were many good...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 20, 2010 0 Comments

The lame duck session has seen Harry Reid at his best or worst, depending upon your perspective.Reid held back a slew of substantial legislation to the last two weeks in order to try to ram through measures which, in a rational world, would have had...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 19, 2010 11 Comments

Taken by a reader in a Wal-Mart shopping center in Winchester, VA, in late October.  Prompting this responsive letter:Dear Driver,We get it, you're not a fan.Sincerely,The White House--------------------------------------------Related Posts:Bumper Stickers - The SeriesFollow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 19, 2010 6 Comments

This is rich.  Julian Assange's lawyers are complaining that details of Assange's alleged sexual assault have been leaked:Incriminating police files were published in the British newspaper that has used him as its source for hundreds of leaked US embassy cables.In a move that surprised many...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 19, 2010 12 Comments

We have returned to the pre-Clinton policy of leaving it up to the military as to whether and on what terms servicemen and servicewomen may openly acknowledge same sex sexual orientation.  Contrary to popular media hype, repeal of the law does not itself require the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 19, 2010 1 Comment

I was saddened to wake up this morning to find out that Joe Fernandez had passed away yesterday after a short illness.I first met Joe a decade or so ago in connection with the Harvard Law School Association of Rhode Island.  Although Joe and I...

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