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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 July 11, 2010 15 Comments

In an upcoming issue of The Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol pens an editorial in which he argues that while "we are not not now quite at a founding moment, or even a re-founding moment," we are approaching a point of political crisis which will be...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 11, 2010 13 Comments

And I thought Ithaca had bumper stickers gone wild fever.  A reader (the Good Doctor) sent a link to this photo of a car from Oregon:Is it time for a Bumper Stickers from Hell contest?  Would there be a better name for the contest?-------------------------------------------- Related Posts:Rip Van Bumper...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 11, 2010 3 Comments

Nicholas Kristoff has found the answer to traditional Palestinian suicide bombers, hijackers, and hostage takers: A non-violent movement led by Palestinian women. But for now, Kristoff finds it's still a dream, because it depends on what the meaning of "non-violence" is. Describing one protest, seeking...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 10, 2010 2 Comments

The beach not too far from my home in Rhode Island, about 1/2 hour ago:-------------------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 10, 2010 10 Comments

I've started posting a Video of the Day in the sidebar.Would appreciate input on:Do you find this to be a good feature?Does it slow down the site?Send suggested entries! (contact -at- legalinsurrection -dot- com)--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 10, 2010 8 Comments

When Scott Brown won the Republican nomination for Senate in Massachusetts in early December 2009, Brown was given close to no chance of defeating Martha Coakley.Coakley had almost a 30 point lead in the polls and much more money. Democrats held an enormous registration advantage,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 09, 2010 13 Comments

For some reason the words in the title to this post came to me in reading Charles Krauthammer's column, The selective modesty of Barack Obama.Obama is not the first president with a large streak of narcissism. But the others had equally expansive feelings about their...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 09, 2010 11 Comments

TaxProf blog has posted the latest law professor blog rankings, and I'm heartened to see that I have moved up to No. 7 in visitors and No. 8 in page views (on a trailing 12 month basis).But traffic statistics are just one measurement, and can be...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 09, 2010 5 Comments

We have seen this tactic before.Last January, Democrats in Massachusetts sent out a mailer accusing Scott Brown of wanting to deny medical care to rape victims, because he had introduced state legislation providing health care providers with a religious conscience exemption to providing abortion-related services, so...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 08, 2010 3 Comments

... not including spaces and superfluous hashtags:-------------------------------------------- Related Posts:The First Twitter ExecutionArkansas Primary Result in 28 CharactersWorst Tweet of The YearFollow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 08, 2010 14 Comments

Unlike some, I have not devoted myself to studying the writings of Glenn Greenwald. Others have devoted the time, because Greenwald has such a large following at Salon.com.I did, however, write about Greenwald's absurd coverage of the Islamist-inspired, Turkish-led Gaza flotilla, particularly Greenwald's offensive use...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 08, 2010 5 Comments

There has been quite a buzz regarding the failure of the Obama administration to challenge a 2008 Rhode Island Executive Order which accomplished much of what Arizona seeks to accomplish through S.B. 1070.The signing statement of the Governor, as well as the Order itself, set...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 08, 2010 8 Comments

Harry Reid's campaign and the Nevada State Democratic Party appear to be playing games with federal campaign finance laws as to expenditures to maintain and promote the fake "TheRealSharronAngle.com" website.That fake website was launched by the Reid campaign, as a press release from the Reid...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 07, 2010 18 Comments

Rhode Island is the new Arizona. No, actually, Arizona is the new Rhode Island.Despite the failure of the Rhode Island legislature to pass an Arizona-like immigration bill, Rhode Island already has implemented the critical piece of the Arizona law, checking the immigration status of people...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 07, 2010 5 Comments

Danger:"Drowning victims are probably the most dangerous to try to rescue. In a panic, drowning victims are likely to claw at rescuers and climb to the surface at all costs."Danger:"The Democratic Party is moving faster and more aggressively than in previous election years to dig...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 07, 2010 5 Comments

Harry Reid's campaign took down its spoofing and phishing fake Sharron Angle website, after the Angle campaign threatened legal action.Contrary to the spin put out by the Reid campaign and its sympathizers, the threatened legal action was not just because the Reid campaign merely quoted...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 06, 2010 25 Comments

Here is a copy of the Complaint just filed by the United States against Arizona seeking to invalidate S.B 1070, the Arizona immigration bill. Copies also of the Civil Cover Sheet, Summons to the the State of Arizona, and Summons to Gov. Jan Brewer.The U.S....

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