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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 20, 2009 10 Comments

I wonder how Nebraskans will feel waking up this morning knowing that their Senator Ben Nelson sold out the rest of the nation on Medicaid reimbursement in order to secure a deal for Nebraska.While Nebraskans will get new Medicaid mandates covered by the federal government,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 20, 2009 3 Comments

Here is a photo of our patio taken a little before 8 a.m. this morning. Looks like we have almost a foot of snow. We are expecting snow for about 5 more hours.--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 19, 2009 63 Comments

I was in the car most of the day, so I haven't had a chance to post on the Ben Nelson sellout. So here are some initial thoughts:Yes, it is that bad. The Democrats are about to put in place the legislative, regulatory and bureaucratic...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 19, 2009 2 Comments

This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain:Vice-President/Executive Editor Tim King writing at Salem News.com plays the "Rush-O'Reilly-Beck inspire white supremacist killers" hand, while slipping in the Godwin's Law card from the bottom of the deck,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 19, 2009 3 Comments

Saturday morning Harry Reid unveils, we think, The Real Bill. They're even wheeling snowmobiling in Robert Byrd for the votes on procedural issues so that Reid can move The Real Bill forward as an amendment to the current version. Since the amendment will have to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 18, 2009 5 Comments

I've posted about Alan Grayson before. The Congressman from Florida is the class clown of Congress (that's including Al Franken in the equation). Grayson not only is nuts, he has dangerous tendencies. As reported at Politico, Grayson is trying to get the Justice Department to prosecute...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 18, 2009 3 Comments

Not Sarah Palin, Not Republicans in Congress. Nat Hentoff: I try to avoid hyperbole, but I think Obama is possibly the most dangerous and destructive president we have ever had. An example is ObamaCare, which is now embattled in the Senate. If that goes through...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 18, 2009 2 Comments

For our country, and yes, our President.That's the feeling I had watching Obama's climate speech in Copenhagen, and the whole theater of the bizarre surrounding it.Read into "sad and embarrassed" what you want.No other brilliant thoughts this afternoon. Not for lack of trying.Except, "pathetic."And, too...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 18, 2009 7 Comments

Just do as he says, or you must want to kill the world: “The time for talk is over, this is the bottom line: We can embrace this accord, take a substantial step forward. We can do that and everyone who is in this room...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 17, 2009 4 Comments

From my new favorite screen shot source:--------------------------------------------Related Posts:From The Department of Obvious HeadlinesI'll Have Some Palin Derangement Syndrome with my Turkey, PleaseNude Swiss Hikers Rescue NY Times Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 17, 2009 14 Comments

PDS item of the day: A paparazzo with a long-range telephoto lense, hiding out in Hawaii to photograph Sarah Palin on vacation, snapped a photo of Palin in a campaign visor with the word "McCain" blackened out. TMZ scored the coup with the photo, and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 17, 2009 4 Comments

From The Boston Herald:Republican Senate hopeful Scott Brown has filed a state ethics complaint after a report that a union backing rival Martha Coakley used state resources to urge workers to volunteer for her campaign.After Brown’s complaint Wednesday, the operations director of Service Employees International...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 16, 2009 18 Comments

Not by me. By an über liberal feminist blogger at HuffPo, Two Black Role Models Done In By Hubris: In the past few weeks, the two most famous and arguably most successful black men in America have taken a huge fall. It has become clear...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 16, 2009 8 Comments

Michael Moore is calling for a boycott of Connecticut because of Joe Lieberman. Yes, the whole state is persona non grata because Independent Joe acted like Independent Joe:"People of Connecticut: What have u done 2 this country? We hold u responsible. Start recall of Lieberman...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 16, 2009 2 Comments

As a follow up to my prior post, Read It Out Loud, note that today the clerk of the Senate is reading a version of the health care monstrosity out loud on the Senate floor, at the request of Tom Coburn, in response to an...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 16, 2009 1 Comment

The headline in USA Today/Gallup's latest health care poll is that the public, by a 48-46% margin, is against or leaning against the current health care proposal:Forty-six percent of Americans say they would advise their member of Congress to vote for healthcare legislation (or lean...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 16, 2009 1 Comment

Obama yesterday:"From the discussions we had, it's clear we are on the precipice of achievement that's eluded Congresses, presidents for generations -- an achievement that will touch the lives of nearly every American." It appears, from the context, Obama was intending to use the word...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 16, 2009 2 Comments

Has anyone seen Senator Evan Bayh (D-Indiana)? He has gone missing on the health care debate.The almost VP-nominee has flown so far under the radar that a Google News search for "Evan Bayh health care" for the past month turns up very little as to...

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