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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 November 18, 2009 10 Comments

From Politico:With the president’s year-end deadline for health care reform looming, congressional Democrats know they’ll almost certainly have to short-circuit the legislative process to get the bill done. --------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

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

The Newsweek cover of Sarah Palin in fitness clothing is becoming the teachable moment of the year. Because liberal women are beginning -- just beginning -- to acknowledge that liberals of both genders are so driven by hatred of Sarah Palin that their worst instincts...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 18, 2009 4 Comments

TBogg, who blogs at Firedoglake, doesn't want to miss an excuse to take a dig at Trig Palin, Sarah Palin's son who was born with Down Syndrome. The excuse this time is the Newsweek cover showing what even Media Matters calls a sexist portrayal of...

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

Whey do I have the feeling that this is Obama's "Mission Accomplished" moment? Stay tuned. -------------------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 18, 2009 4 Comments

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I am not a fan of Media Matters. All too often, Media Matters spends way too much time staring at videos of the latest O'Reilly show or speech by a Republican politician, or listening to every syllable uttered...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 18, 2009 0 Comments

Any day (minute, hour?) Harry Reid will release his health care restructuring plan. If reports are true, Reid plans to start debate as soon as he can get the necessary votes, and have the Senate work Saturdays until Reid gets his up or down vote...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2009 11 Comments

The Huffington Post has removed the impostor who was using "Legal Insurrection" to post comments at HuffPo, as detailed in my prior post, Why Is Someone Impersonating Me?People impersonating others is a real problem on the internet, and should give caution to anyone who relies...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2009 1 Comment

Because Death and Nude Swiss Hikers didn't work so well: -------------------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2009 2 Comments

At least Andrew Sullivan is honest that the main purpose of a civilian trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is not obtaining a conviction of KSM. A conviction could be obtained more efficiently and just as fairly in a military tribunal.As I posted earlier, the purpose...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2009 9 Comments

See Update below-------------------------------------------Politico is one of the class acts in internet news to which I link frequently, and Ben Smith is a justifiably respected commentator at Politico.Which is why it pains me to have to point out that yesterday Smith unfairly smeared Robert Stacy McCain...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 17, 2009 7 Comments

There is almost unanimous applause in the left-wing blogosphere and mainstream media editorial boards for Obama's decision to put Khalid Sheikh Mohammed on trial in a civilian court. The decision is being hailed as a courageous act to restore the rule of law. In fact,...

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

As we are led to believe that negotiations are underway to convince Iran to give up its uranium enrichment program, comes this disclosure by The Times of London that the International Atomic Energy Agency has been double-dealing:United Nations and Iranian officials have been secretly negotiating...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 16, 2009 11 Comments

Andrew Sullivan is "Live Blogging" Oprah's interview of Sarah Palin (screen shot below). Probably waiting for the question as to who is Trig's real mother. Do we really need to "fact check this notion that losing vice-presidential candidates get to speak on election night"? That...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 16, 2009 4 Comments

"The fierce urgency of now." One of Barack Obama's favorite lines. But used only when convenient.As in, "we need to pass the stimulus bill immediately, or there will be a financial disaster. Forget reading the bill, just pass it so I can sign it immediately...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 15, 2009 12 Comments

The Bow controversy will not stop. Jake Tapper at his blog has some comments by an expert on Japanese cultural norms arguing that Obama's close inspection of the Emperor's shoes was neither protocol nor culturally appropriate: "The bow as he performed did not just display weakness...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 15, 2009 2 Comments

Anyone who questions the wisdom of bringing non-civilian Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to trial in a civilian court stands accused of reducing 9/11 to kitschy memory, or something like that:In the years since, “9/11” has turned into a shorthand for patriotic kitsch for the Wingnutteria, and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 15, 2009 2 Comments

Memeorandum is the source for what is happening in the U.S. political blogosphere. Using some mysterious method, apparently based on an algorithm and Voodoo, Memeorandum captures the hot stories from blogs and online news sources.Getting a Memeorandum thread is a good thing for a blogger,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 15, 2009 0 Comments

This is my obligatory "Obama changed his mind on military tribunals" post.Back in 2006 when the Senate debated the legislation creating constitutionally acceptable military tribunals, as a reaction to the Supreme Court ruling in the Hamdan case, Obama was confident that a full military tribunal...

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