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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.

I have to hand it to team Obama. They do not give up on Obama's goal of remaking the health care system into the image that Obama wants.Even if Obama doesn't get everything he wants, if either of the current House or Senate versions passes,...

Not surprisingly, Scott Brown is a target for Think Progress, which regularly distorts what conservatives say as part of the Democrats' strategy to paint all opponents as extremist and crazy. TP ran the following headline yesterday related to the attack by Joe Stack who crashed...

Someone at the Israeli Embassy in Britain has a wicked sense of humor.The Embassy sent the following tweet, which has caused the anti-Israel paper, The Guardian, to go somewhat crazy.The tweet seemingly refers to the hit on a Hamas leader in Dubai, carried out allegedly...

"Progressive" bloggers met yesterday at the White House with the "chief economist to Vice President Joe Biden" (who knew there was such a thing? why do we have such a thing?) who told them what Oba-messages to put on their Obamalogs:The basic thrust of the...

And I mean literally[*]:Durham police arrested Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Gale Mangum, 33, late Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend, set his clothes on fire in a bathtub and threatened to stab him...

The Dubai police have released what purport to be tapes of an 11-person strong hit team which killed top Hamas arms coordinator and killer of two Israeli soldiers, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. The working assumption is that this was an Israeli operation.The tapes coordinate closed circuit shots...

Barack Obama is claiming credit for "saving" the economy from a full-blown depression based on passage of the stimulus plan.As with most Obama claims of success, Obama simply is exhibiting his prowess at using strawman arguments.Obama compares where the economy is now, versus where the...

There is no actual link between Alabama-Hunstville shooter Amy Bishop and the Tea Party movement.By all accounts, Bishop was extremely liberal and a huge Obama fan (to the point of being described by someone who knew her as being obsessed with Obama).But in keeping with...

This could turn me into a betting man, via Politico:--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

At least a writer at New York Magazine thinks it was. The incident, in which Mitt Romney and his wife were confronted (and had a punch thrown at them) on an airplane, took place after Romney asked a passenger in front of him to...

Hotline OnCall has retracted its prior report that d'Ippolito has the signatures needed: IN Dem Misses The Deadline---------------------------------------------It looks like the left-wing of the Democratic Party will get the candidate it wants as party nominee to replace Evan Bayh. According to Hotline OnCall, Tamyra d'Ippolito...

A top Hamas official linked to the arms trade with Iran was assassinated in Dubai. Everyone assumes it was the Israelis.Dubai officials announced that they had identified the group of assailants, and even published photos, names, and nationalities, based on the passports.Uh, not so fast....

The Democratic base has convinced itself that the problem is that Obama has not succeeded in passing health care legislation and other items on his agenda. The possibility that their agenda is being rejected by voters never enters their minds.Here's a pretty good analysis of...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...