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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 April 02, 2010 1 Comment

"The fiercely pro-Israeli Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was among the guests at the controversy-filled Arab League summit in Libya with the supposed aim of forming a unified strategy against Tel Aviv's illegal settlement plans in Palestinian territories.At one point, according to reports, Berlusconi, whose country...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 02, 2010 7 Comments

Keep moving, nothing to see here: Now Mr Obama is expected to rule out the development of new weapons systems — despite reservations from the military, which is mindful that Russia and China are modernising and expanding their nuclear forces respectively. He will also drop...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 01, 2010 15 Comments

Thanks to a reader for calling my attention to the ongoing spasms of vindictiveness in the U.S. policy towards Honduras.As noted in numerous posts here, the U.S. tried to force the return to power of Chavista and wannabe President-for-Life Manuel Zelaya. Only through the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 01, 2010 8 Comments

The reaction to Obama's announcement that he is opening up some offshore areas to drilling is laughable. There will be no drilling anytime soon, and the plan closes more areas to drilling than it opens.This likely is Obama's attempt to tack to the center as...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 01, 2010 6 Comments

Oh, how the columnists at the NY Times and the left-wing blogs desperately want a militia threat with which to beat law-abiding citizens over the head in the name of Obamamania.Sorry to disappoint Count Frankula and the other fear-mongers and race-card players, once again (h/t...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 31, 2010 5 Comments

The malicious campaign run by the coalition of leftist academics, internationalists and Islamists against Israel continues unabated.We know that in the U.S. and elsewhere, speeches by current or former Israeli officials are disrupted, and there have been organized boycotts of Israeli academics.Now they even are...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 31, 2010 16 Comments

I previously posted about Jamie Gorelick's hiring as a lobbyist for Sallie Mae, the student loan agency. After the debacles she created by raising the wall between law enforcement and the intelligence services, and at Fannie Mae, I thought she was doing quite well for...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 31, 2010 9 Comments

http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/EMPIRE17.swfH/t Israellycool, which posts the following challenge: "See if you can spot when a palestinian state existed."--------------------------------------------Related Posts:What If Palestinians Were Settlers?Law Professor Continues His Personal IntifadaFollow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 30, 2010 12 Comments

The claim by the Joint Committee on Taxation that the health care mandate penalty was not enforceable by the IRS made a lot of news, but that claim made no sense to me.The Senate bill (at p. 336) says that the health care mandate penalty...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 30, 2010 28 Comments

Here is how Tucker Carlson described the purpose behind the Daily Caller (emphasis mine):Tucker Carlson announced plans to launch DailyCaller.com, a conservative-leaning news site that will aim to be an answer to the Huffington Post...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 29, 2010 7 Comments

The anti-Zionist fringe nut who threatened to kill Eric Cantor was an Obama supporter and campaign contributor.You know exactly what I mean when I say, "Can you imagine if Norman Leboon threatened to kill Obama and Leboon were a McCain or Tea Party contributor?"We would...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 29, 2010 7 Comments

The FBI has indicted Norman LeBoon Sr. of Philadelphia on charges of threatening Congressman Eric Cantor. LeBoon appears to be motivated by anti-Israeli sentiment, and a general paranoia reflected in anti-government rants.Here is a video "Norman LeBoon Sr" made attacking Israel's conduct in Gaza:Israel Starving...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 29, 2010 5 Comments

If Repeal were a candidate, she would win in a landslide (emphasis mine):One week after the House of Representatives passed the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, 54% of the nation's likely voters still favor repealing the new law. The latest...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 29, 2010 5 Comments

Never change:For not just one alone has risen against us to destroy us, but in every generation they rise against us to destroy us; and the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hand!--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 29, 2010 2 Comments

Don't ever say this was unexpected:So Obama is flirting with a future budget crisis. Moody's emphasizes two warning signs: rising debt and loss of confidence that government will deal with it. Obama fulfills both. The parallels with the recent financial crisis are striking. Bankers and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 28, 2010 5 Comments

The United States has a hard time getting a sanctions resolution against Iran through the U.N. Security Council because Iran has two protectors (Russian and China) among the five permanent members with veto power.Israel has only one reliable veto-wielding friend on the Security Council, the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 28, 2010 5 Comments

Barack Obama's insistence that Israel cease all building in Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, calling such neighborhoods "settlements," raises an interesting question. Who are the settlers in Jerusalem? A good example of the lack of clarity over Palestinian claims to Jerusalem is found in prominent Palestinian-American...

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