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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 10, 2010 22 Comments

As far at I can tell, the date of the funeral for Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the others killed in the plane crash has not yet been set.Undoubtedly, this will be a monumental event with dignitaries from around the world, and millions of people...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2010 3 Comments

Polish President Lech Kaczynski was a great friend of the United States and freedom loving peoples everywhere.When Kaczynski visited the U.S. in 2007 he made sure to visit Nancy Reagan and to honor the role of Ronald Reagan in securing freedom in Eastern Europe (see...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2010 16 Comments

The President of Poland and much of Poland's military and civilian leadership were killed when the presidential plane crashed in Russia on the way to commemorate the massacre of 22,000 Polish officers by the Soviets in 1940: Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 09, 2010 8 Comments

Definitely a day of F.O.M.S. (fear of missing something). I couldn't hit the blog during the day today because of meetings, and while I was away, the whole world freaked out.Resignations, arguments, threats, more resignations, and then some:Obama debated Sarah Palin on nuclear weapons strategy,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 09, 2010 6 Comments

Absolutely, bring it on, via The Independent: A sport best described as "mounted goat rugby from hell" could soon be transported from northern Afghanistan's dusty plains to the green turf of Twickenham, or even New York's Yankee Stadium, if enthusiasts have their way.Buzkashi, a game...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 08, 2010 7 Comments

Item No. 1. Obama hailed the new spirit of cooperation between the United States and Russia on a host of international issues, including Iran, through the signing of a nuclear arms reduction treaty:"This ceremony is a testament to the truth that old adversaries can forge...

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

of the British election has let Prime Minister Gordon Brown have it, via The Telegraph.LGF and TPM are searching for a Tea Party connection, Andrew Sullivan thinks Palin had something to do with it, Paul Krugman considers it an incitement to violence, Count Frankula is...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 07, 2010 11 Comments

Barack Obama has given the go ahead for the "targeted killing" of al-Qaeda operative Anwar al-Awlaki, who happens to be a U.S. citizen.I don't have a problem with it. The fight with al-Qaeda is war. Al-Awlaki is trying to kill Americans, and if the only...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 07, 2010 2 Comments

Well, why not?Immigration is an issue on which the U.S. seems incapable of reaching a political consensus, instability on the Mexican border has led to hundreds of deaths and cross-border drug trafficking, and neither the U.S. nor Mexico seems willing to solve the problem.A solution...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 07, 2010 12 Comments

In 1940, the Soviet Union executed 22,000 Polish officers in the Katyn Forest near Smolensk, Russia.The mass grave was discovered in 1943 by invading German troops, but the Soviet propaganda machine create the mythology that the massacre was committed by the Nazis:In late 1943, as...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 06, 2010 10 Comments

Elections have been set in Great Britain for May 6, pitting the Labour Party (headed by Obama-wannabe Prime Minister Gordon Brown) against the Conservative Party ("Tories") (headed by David Cameron).The election is shaping up as traditional nanny-state government (Labour) against less big government (Tories), echoing...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 06, 2010 12 Comments

The Obama administration's new nuclear policy, to which I alerted readers several days ago and again yesterday, contains a very curious doctrine. As reported by Jake Tapper:In the [Nuclear Policy] Review, the US government will pledge to refrain from using nuclear weapons to attack any...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 05, 2010 4 Comments

Wait for it. The next bailout will be for hospitals devastated by cut-backs as a result of Obamacare. In Rhode Island, the prognosis already is not good for the survival of hospitals already struggling financially, which may be pushed over the brink. As...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 05, 2010 7 Comments

Many of the criticisms of Michael Steele have been unjustified.The hoopla over $2,000 spent by an RNC staffer at a "sex-themed" club without Steele's knowledge or permission, may have made interesting headlines, but it was not probative of Steele's Chairmanship of the RNC.Today, however, Steele...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 05, 2010 2 Comments

in the Democratic party, mainstream media and nutroots who insist that everyone who opposes Obama's agenda is an extremist, and that the Tea Parties are the extreme of the extreme:Gallup - Tea Partiers Are Fairly Mainstream in Their DemographicsThe Hill - Four in 10 Tea...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 05, 2010 3 Comments

Frank Rich has been at the lead of the cabal of Democratic operatives, mainstream media columnists and left-wing bloggers who have engaged in a deliberate year-long smear campaign to paint opposition to Obama's agenda as inherently racist.Rich's most recent column, It’s a Bird, It’s a...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 04, 2010 7 Comments

There is plenty of speculation that the Chinese will agree to, or at least not block, new sanctions on Iran. The Obama administration stands ready to claim the credit, but if China comes around, it may be the threat of unilateral Israeli action which made...

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