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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.

The Obama administration considers all territory Israel captured during the 1967 war to be occupied territory, including sections of Jerusalem.Israel's plan to construct new houses in a Jewish section of Jerusalem outside the pre-1967 border was the excuse the Obama administration used for the contrived...

Richard Blumenthal may have breathed life back into his political career yesterday, with a press conference in which he vigorously defended his record:But I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this...

Just ask pro-life, pro-gun clinging, anti-Obamacare, anti-cap-and-tax Mark Critz, who pulled out a victory in PA-12 last night in a district in which Obama is unpopular:The district itself couldn’t have been more primed for a Republican victory. According to one recent poll, President Barack Obama’s...

Ex-Harvard student accused of living a lieTells us nothing. Could be so many (in)famous people.Name names.--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

If you don't know what "it" is, then go back to sleep.If you do know what "it" is, I'd be interested in your thoughts.Because "good journalism" isn't quite satisfying."Guilty conscience"?"Atoning for sins"?"Providing cover"?Update 5-19-2010 - Here is the punch line to the editorial in The...

The bullying by Congressional committees of various unpopular industries has taken on warp speed.But in a very disturbing new tactic, Congressional Democrats specifically are targeting a sponsor of conservative media shows, particularly the Glenn Beck Show, on a flimsy pretext: Forget Goldman. New York Rep....

We are being led by ideologues who are wilfully ignorant of the legal topics about which they do not hesitate to opine. These people lack a simple inquisitiveness of the mind on topics about which they already have made up their minds.First, Attorney General Eric...

In Graham v. Florida, the Supreme Court held that it violated the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments to imprison someone with no possibility of parole based upon crimes, other than homicide, committed while a juvenile.These lines (at page 40 of the pdf.) in...

Richard Blumenthal, current Attorney General of Connecticut and Democratic candidate for Senate, has a problem. A big problem.Blumenthal is considered the overwhelming favorite to keep Chris Dodd's seat in Barack Obama's hands.But, if this NY Times report is true, Blumenthal's days should be numbered, because...

and American Jews have not done a good job at forcing Israelis to create the Middle Eastern version of the Upper West Side, or something like that, from Peter Beinart and the usual suspects.You know what, they really don't care what you think. And they...

Apparently, it constitutes race baiting to mention Al Sharpton when criticizing the boycott of Arizona, according to Kevin Johnson, at ImmigrationProf Blog:The Securetheborder.org website mentioned in Palin's message includes the following "defense" of Arizona:"instead of taking action to help, the state has come under attack...

Also known as killing two birds with one stone.We get to apologize to and beg forgiveness from China for the sin of Arizona seeking to enforce the U.S. immigration laws, thus satisfying the 11th Commandment, "thou shall apologize profusely."And, as the twofer, we get to...

A lot of people are upset about these lines in Pat Buchanan's column, Are Liberals Anti-WASP?: If Kagan is confirmed, Jews, who represent less than 2 percent of the U.S. population, will have 33 percent of the Supreme Court seats.Is this the Democrats' idea of...

The evidence mounts of bungled permitting, delays in response, and understating the impact:U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits - "Those approvals, federal records show, include one for the well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers...

He just can't wrap his mind around it. So he sinks ever deeper into his belief that we fail to understand.But in fact, it is he who fails to understand:Is “Left” becoming a four-letter word? You’d think so lately with each day bringing more news...

For all you Charlie Crist fans out there, Crist's answer was "I'm going to keep it" (at 3:10)(via The Buzz):[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BLaPcYK1CE]--------------------------------------------Related Posts (Heckler-mania):President Protects Critic's Right To Speak At Town HallShocking Lack of RespectWe Are All Gillian Duffy NowThe First HecklerFollow me on Twitter and Facebook...

This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain: Yesterday, Sam Stein, a lead reporter and blogger for HuffPo, ran a post titled Group Sends Racially-Tinged Mailer Targeting Bill Halter In Arkansas Senate Race: The already racially-tinged attacks being...

The fiscal equivalent of Stockholm Syndrome:A term used to describe a paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein government officials express adulation and have positive feelings toward unsustainable union contracts that appear irrational in light of the danger or risk posed by such contracts to the government.Our politicians...