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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 February 15, 2010 18 Comments

Good news. The NY Times is reporting that the second in command of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Baradar, has been captured in Pakistan.The capture was undertaken by the Pakistanis with help from the CIA:Details of the raid remain murky, but officials said that it had...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 15, 2010 6 Comments

Yes, honey, there were.What happened?That's a good question.--------------------------------------------Related Posts:Dems' Strategy of CrazySheldon Whitehouse Becomes Alan GraysonDems Stuck With Blog Hero Grayson Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 15, 2010 8 Comments

The latest in the "how do they think this stuff up" series, Matthew Yglesias on the new definition of immorality, namely, doing something which hurts the Democratic Party (emphasis mine):Obviously, Evan Bayh’s never been my favorite Senator. And the more one learns about both the manner...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 15, 2010 8 Comments

The Internet hasn't had this much fun since Arlen Specter jumped off the Republican ship onto the sinking Democratic ship last April.Now we get to watch the leading lights of the Democratic base attack Evan Bayh on his way out.  I guess they just weren't that...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 15, 2010 15 Comments

Via Hotline OnCall:Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) will not seek a 3rd term in the Senate next year, according to a Dem source, handing Dems yet another setback as they struggle to salvage their damaged ship.Bayh, elected statewide 5 times, will become the 5th Senate Dem...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 14, 2010 14 Comments

I was reading, and rather enjoying, Bob Cesca's rant (Time for the Democrats to Get Loud and Fearless) at HuffPo. The post was about -- get ready for this because you've probably never heard this before -- how stupid Sarah Palin is and how mean...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 14, 2010 2 Comments

On November 29, 2008, in the wake of the Mumbai massacre and the election of Barack Obama (no connection drawn, just historically close in time), I wrote of the dilemma faced on whether to kill or capture terrorists: Giving Terrorists "Rights" May Lead To More...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 14, 2010 3 Comments

William Lynch, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Rhode Island for the past decade, has thrown his hat into the ring to run to replace Patrick Kennedy.Please, please let Lynch get the Democratic nomination. Lynch is so deeply part of the problem, has opposed almost...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 14, 2010 12 Comments

The death of Obamacare has been predicted many times. But such reports were premature, at least if Obama has his way.The upcoming "bipartisan" summit on health care demonstrates that Obamacare is attempting to rise from the Congressional grave.So committed is Obama to his vision of...

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

This is the latest in the Saturday Night Card Game series on the use of the race card for political gain:Charles Ogletree is a Professor at Harvard Law School. Ogletree who is black, has decided that to call Barack Obama "professor" has racist connotations: Speaking...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 13, 2010 5 Comments

When Sarah Palin wrote a few words on her hand during a speech, the left-wing blogs went wild with the sexually suggestive "hand job" analogy, as I documented in my post Palin Exposes Misogyny In The Democratic Base, Again.Now California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein (B.A. in...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 13, 2010 13 Comments

Amy Bishop, who killed three fellow professors at the University of Alabama - Huntsville because she was denied tenure, obviously was a disturbed person. Her politics, whatever they may have been, are irrelevant. She did the crime, and now she needs to do the time...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 13, 2010 3 Comments

There definitely is an anger in the country over the runaway spending and deficits, and the attempts by Democrats to force a wholesale restructuring of society through health care legislation, cap-and-trade and other policies designed to push government even further into our lives.But that anger...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 12, 2010 1 Comment

On February 28, 2009, Barack Obama gave a weekly address regarding his proposed massive budget in which Obama ramped up his attack on lobbyists:I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 12, 2010 8 Comments

The bowing out of Patrick Kennedy is a plus, on many different levels. But this positive should not be construed as a guarantee that the seat will leave the Democratic Party.Rhode Island is one of the bluest states. The Democrats control the legislature and most...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 11, 2010 26 Comments

Reports are that Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) will not be running for reelection.Everyone is wondering why. If I weren't such a humble person, I might suggest the following:Now what do I do?Update: Upside of Patrick leaving so soon, I got an Instalanche out of it. ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 11, 2010 7 Comments

The Creepshow which has become Palin Derangement Syndrome is so enthralling to watch.The Black Bracelet crowd cannot figure out if Palin is Anatoly Karpov or some strange combination of Raymond Shaw and Barbi Benton.Act I, Palin as Chess Grandmaster (h/t HotAir), via HuffPo blogger Joan...

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