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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 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...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 11, 2010 6 Comments

The Gail Collins has a column today in which she reviews the sordid history of corruption in New York and Illinois (with shout outs to some other states), and concludes that Illinois wins the most-corrupt state race.But TGC forgot to connect the dots: Everyone...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 11, 2010 4 Comments

I'm not going to wade into the minutiae of Leon Wieseltier's article at The New Republic as to whether Andrew Sullivan is anti-Semitic because of Sullivan's anti-Israel tirades.I agree with James Joyner that the terms "anti-Semitic" along with "racist" and "homophobe" are so overused as...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 11, 2010 5 Comments

Eric Robinson, author of the Black Bracelet hit piece on Sarah Palin, has written a response to the criticism (emphasis mine):Author's Note: In my column in the News Wednesday, I criticized former Alaska governor Sarah Palin for wearing a black memorial bracelet with her son’s...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 10, 2010 25 Comments

I thank Yale Graduate School student Eric Robinson for his service to the country in Iraq and Afghanistan.But Robinson's hit piece on Sarah Palin, Palin’s bigger blunder, leads me to believe Robinson has succumbed to the New Haven funny water, either that, or he is...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 10, 2010 5 Comments

One only can imagine what she knows.The most disturbing part of it all is that Sarah Palin could have been Vice President. Update: An Edwards spokeperson is denying the story. But of course, Edwards has denied everything all along, until almost the very end....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 10, 2010 17 Comments

TPM ran a story yesterday, based on Sarah Palin's interview with Chris Wallace on Sunday, claiming that Palin had come out in favor of Obama bombing Iran to improve Obama's political standing. The TPM headline was Palin Advocates War With Iran After Apparently Misunderstanding Buchanan...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 09, 2010 18 Comments

It's not good when a political spouse has to jump to the rescue. It makes the politician look weak.Michelle Obama's interview in which she complains about the treatment of her husband certainly is not a first in political history, but this statement really baffled me...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 09, 2010 4 Comments

Clark Hoyt, "The Public Editor" at The NY Times, apparently doesn't know when he is being used.Or at least Hoyt didn't know it when he reacted to a complaint from the Electronic Intifada website that Ethan Bronner, The Times' Jerusalem bureau Chief (an American) had...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 08, 2010 16 Comments

Nate Silver, January 5, 2010, Wicked Awesome Thoughts on Massachusetts Special Election: Rasmussen is supposed to have a poll out tomorrow (Tuesday) on the Massachusetts Senate Special Election, which will take place on the 19th. There's been some speculation, mostly from Republican blogs but also...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 08, 2010 18 Comments

Barack Obama was steadfast during the campaign and after his election in his willingness to enter into negotiations with Iran without preconditions.But Obama is not willing to enter into health care negotiations with Republicans without preconditions.In inviting Republicans to the negotiating table for the first...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 07, 2010 41 Comments

Writing-on-hand-gate reminds me of one of the reasons Sarah Palin was put on this earth: To bring out and expose the worst misogynistic impulses in the hard core of the Democratic base.I'm not talking about criticism or mockery of the handwritten notes. That's fair game....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 07, 2010 6 Comments

I will not react in haste. I will wait until TOTUS passes judgment, and tells us how to react.Oh TOTUS, wherefore art thou TOTUS when we need you most?Please call it "The People's Teleprompter" or something like that.And make them go away so I don't...

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