Image 01 Image 03
Sign In or RegisterLogout

Author: William A. Jacobson

Profile photo

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 June 08, 2009 3 Comments

If you want to know why Barack Obama was spitting into the wind with his "historic" speech to the Muslim world, at least as regards the Israeli-Palestinian issue, there is no better example than this juxtaposition of Palestinians booby-trapping horses as part of a failed...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 08, 2009 2 Comments

In a speech last February at Wake Forest University, columnist David Gergen "compared Obama’s ability to focus during difficult times to Tiger Woods’ ability to focus during a difficult golf match."Now this from the opening sentences of a lead NY Times article today:President Obama was...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 08, 2009 1 Comment

Hamas reacted to Obama's "historic" speech to the Muslim world by attempting to kidnap Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border last night, in a coordinated assault timed also to coincide with the Lebanese elections:DEBKAfile's military sources report at least four Palestinians killed after Israeli air...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 07, 2009 2 Comments

Election result are in from Lebanon, and the pro-Western "March 14" parties are the big winner:The March 14 alliance clinched around 70 out of 128 seats, maintaining its majority in parliament after defeating the Hizbullah-led alliance in Sunday's crucial elections. Celebrations broke out in several...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 07, 2009 0 Comments

From The Guardian, showing that investment fraud is universal:Jawad Tawfiq, a 52-year-old Gazan actor and director, was dubious at first, but his nephew insisted. If they could scrape together enough money, the nephew said, large profits could be made from investing in the tunnels that...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 07, 2009 19 Comments

Conservative blogger Ed Whelan "outed" an anonymous liberal blogger who penned under the name Publius. Turns out Publius is a junior law professor who was afraid that revealing his identity would jeopardize his career prospects and family relationships. While Publius worried about the reaction of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 07, 2009 8 Comments

In his "historic" speech to the Muslim world, Barack Obama spoke up for the rights of women. The first example Obama used was the right of Muslim women in the West to wear hair covering (italics mine):The sixth issue that I want to address is...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 05, 2009 3 Comments

A portion in Barack Obama's "historic" speech to the Muslim world was particularly odd. In apologizing for religious intolerance in the United States, Obama said as follows:Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together. We must always examine the ways...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 05, 2009 10 Comments

I didn't know what the term "shorter" meant until I started blogging. A "shorter" is someone who exaggerates someone else's opinion, or creates a false choice between two extremes. Back in the day, such form of argument would be called setting up a "strawman."As others...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 04, 2009 8 Comments

Here is a one sentence summary of Barack Obama's "historic" speech to the Muslim world:"I have no right to tell you how to live, because we're as bad as you are, but here's how you need to live."--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter and Facebook...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 04, 2009 5 Comments

Three card monte is a scam in which the sucker is led to believe he is following the winning card, when in fact the skillful dealer has distracted the sucker into following the wrong card. The sucker never wins.Right now, everyone's focus is on Obama's...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 03, 2009 3 Comments

Depends on what the meaning of "bow" is. Because leaning down to have a medal put over your head is not a bow. How could anyone think otherwise? From LGF:Please note! Barack Obama is absolutely not bowing to King Abdullah! He’s receiving a medal.That is...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 03, 2009 10 Comments

The White House explanation for Sonia Sotomayor's 2001 "wise Latina" statement was that Sotomayor used a "poor" choice of words and certainly would "restate" the language. This spin made no sense, as the full text of the 2001 speech made clear that Sotomayor did not...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 02, 2009 8 Comments

See HotAir and Michelle Malkin for more examples of "kill Bush" memorabilia. -------------------------------------------- Related Posts: Remember Ilan Halimi Phony Outrage Over "Armed And Dangerous" Further Proof Liberal Bloggers Need To Study History Follow me on Twitter and Facebook ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 01, 2009 7 Comments

In my post yesterday, I noted that Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus wasn't "buying" the Obama administration spin that Sonia Sotomayor made a "poor" choice of words or misspoke in her speech in 2001 when Sotomayor said “I would hope that a wise Latina woman...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 31, 2009 0 Comments

Ruth Marcus is a columnist for the Washington Post. By any standard, Marcus is left-of-center, not an Obama-basher, and not hostile to liberal causes. So when Marcus rejects the White House spin on Sonia Sotomayor's "wise Latina" statement, it deserves attention:Nice try, Mr. President, but...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 31, 2009 7 Comments

I did it because I'm entitled to burn a jet-load full of fuel, even though:I plan to cap industry's production of carbon emissions regardless of whether it destroys our global competitivenessMy carbon emission caps will cost consumers thousands of dollars per family in higher energy...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 31, 2009 0 Comments

“Scott, you said that – or the President said, repeatedly, that Harriet Miers was the best person for the job. So does that mean Alito is sloppy seconds, or what?” CBS News Correspondent, John Roberts, at White House Press Briefing, questioning White House Press Secretary...

Accessibility by WAH