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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 09, 2009 9 Comments

The Telegraph in Britain has a story about a massive iceberg which broke off from the Antarctic ice cap and is heading for Australia. The iceberg is so large that if it hits the mainland it would cause a 3.0-4.0 tremor on the Richter scale....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 09, 2009 3 Comments

Senator Orrin Hatch has written a Hanukkah song. The background is here. Thanks, Orrin.There's a lesson to be learned here, but unfortunately the Jewish community will not learn it because it is so deep in the pocket of the Democratic Party that it cannot see...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 09, 2009 7 Comments

No one gives Scott Brown, the Republican primary winner, much chance at defeating Martha Coakley, the Democratic nominee. It's Massachusetts, and it's to fill Ted Kennedy's seat.But keep an eye on Massachusetts. It's a special election, and turnout could be low as it was in...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 09, 2009 2 Comments

In recent days Democrats started floating the idea of a "Medicare Buy-In" proposal, and as of last night, there appears to be a deal, although the details are not fully known. I addressed the lack of merits in a prior post.What is critical is that...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 08, 2009 6 Comments

Do not be alarmed. This is no cause for concern. It's not as if the government put your medical records online. And Bush probably is to blame, anyway:--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 08, 2009 10 Comments

Why am I not surprised. The head of the UN's climate organization has demanded that American taxpayers "show me the money" by funding billions of dollars of climate change programs in poorer countries:At the Copenhagen climate summit, the world’s top environment watchdog welcomed the fact...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 08, 2009 5 Comments

When protests over a fraudlent election spread in Iran last June, the Obama administration insisted that it needed to tread carefully so as to leave open the possibility of dialogue with the Iranian regime on the nuclear issue. The possibility of a regime change instigated...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 07, 2009 6 Comments

The latest Democratic ploy to get to a single-payer system is a wolf in sheep's clothing hidden inside a Trojan horse.According to reports, "moderate" and "liberal" Democrats are proposing a massive expansion of Medicare and Medicaid as a substitute for a "public option":Senate Democratic liberals...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 07, 2009 10 Comments

Unbelievable. Harry Reid compares those opposed to Democratic health restructuring proposals to people who opposed freeing the slaves, granting women the right to vote, and expanding civil rights:"Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 07, 2009 15 Comments

Yow. Per Rasmussen poll just released (h/t HotAir), Tea Party Tops GOP on Three-Way Generic Ballot:In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 06, 2009 20 Comments

Despite mounting evidence that key climate researchers were less than honest, and other indications that the science is not settled, tomorrow 56 newspapers will run a common front page editorial saying we have 'Fourteen days to seal history's judgment on this generation':Tomorrow 56 newspapers in...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 06, 2009 9 Comments

Interesting article by AP, on reaction in the black community to Tiger Woods' extra-marital problems:When three white women were said to be romantically involved with Woods in addition to his blonde, Swedish wife, blogs, airwaves and barbershops started humming, and Woods' already tenuous standing among...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 06, 2009 5 Comments

Hat tip to Tim Blair for this video which is sure to bring a smile to your face. As Tim puts it, "The Providence St Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, throws down a dance challenge for Australian hospitals."--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 05, 2009 6 Comments

This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain:Tonight's entry is borderline "race card" but it is too good to pass up. Since someone is watching these posts very carefully, and checking things twice, I want to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 05, 2009 3 Comments

Barack Obama has changed his plans and now will be attending the last day of the Copenhagen climate change conference, which is viewed as a significant signal that some sort of "deal" may be in the offing:A couple of hours ago, the Obama administration announced...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 05, 2009 3 Comments

In March 2008, Max Baucus (D-MT) had separated from his wife. That same month, Andrew Ramanos was in his final undergraduate semester at George Washington University, where he worked on the school newspaper, the GW Hatchet.In the summer of 2008, Baucus started dating a former...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 04, 2009 14 Comments

Andrew Sullivan has called for Obama to give up his birth certificate, and Sarah Palin to give up the birth certificate and medical records of her son Trig.Palin's book, Going Rogue, caused Sullivan's blogospheric synapses to stand still momentarily, but now they are firing on...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 04, 2009 10 Comments

Andrew Sullivan called for Barack Obama to release Obama's full birth certificate:It is not my job as a journalist or yours as a citizen to take public officials on trust. They are not to be trusted, whoever they are. It is our job to demand...

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