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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 January 07, 2009 0 Comments

When Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced the appointment of Roland Burris to Barack Obama's open Senate seat, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took a principled stance: Burris would not be seated. That principle was wrong, but at least it was a principle.Initially, Reid had widespread...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 06, 2009 2 Comments

It appears that Barack Obama intends on following through with his campaign promise to issue refundable income tax credits so that people who pay no income taxes will get “refund” checks from the federal government. Obama justifies these payments as being a refund of payroll...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 05, 2009 2 Comments

When I announced the discovery of "Blooger Mood Disorder," I had no idea what I was getting into. Next came, Bloggernoia and SiteMeter Fever elucidated by Robert Stacy McCain, then SiteMeter Envy.I never should have started on this path. I have stumbled on "Internet Addition...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 05, 2009 1 Comment

Update 1/8/2009: Hugo has changed his mind, after intervention by or on behalf of Joe Kennedy. Apparently, the goodwill of a Kennedy is more important to Hugo than providing for his own people.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Joe Kennedy shamelessly aligned himself with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez to provide home...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 05, 2009 1 Comment

The New York Times has run an advertisement on its front page for the first time ever. What a precious moment, made all the more poignant by the fact that the ad was from CBS television.So the dying NY Times breaks with tradition to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 05, 2009 0 Comments

Events are moving so quickly in the saga of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, that there has been precious little time to reflect. But as I look back on the past month, I keep thinking of Raymond J. Donovan, and a question keeps nagging me; what...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 05, 2009 0 Comments

On October 29, 2008, I wrote It's 3 a.m. and the Prime Minister of Israel is Calling, which appeared at American Thinker. Considering how events in the Middle East are unfolding, and the likelihood that in two weeks the Obama administration will make decisions on...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 04, 2009 0 Comments

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated today that the Senate can do "whatever we want" with regard to seating Roland Burris, the appointee of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Reid may want to rethink that position.Reid apparently is picking up on an argument advanced by...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 04, 2009 0 Comments

The rise of the blogosphere owes to two developments: (1) the technology of the internet which allows individuals to be heard by a potentially unlimited audience without filtering by traditional news organizations, and (2) the agenda-driven mainstream media, which has driven tens of millions of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 03, 2009 0 Comments

I recently identified Blogger Mood Disorder, "a condition in which one's mood swings up and down in sync with the level of blog traffic."The Other McCain (the one who has never lost an election) then identified two syndromes related to BMD, "SiteMeter Fever" and "Bloggernoia."...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 03, 2009 8 Comments

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has requested a three month extension of time to bring an indictment against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, stating that he needed more time to review thousands of telephone intercepts and to interview new witnesses. While I can't presume to know what...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 02, 2009 0 Comments

A post at Critical Thoughts blog notes the relative silence of the Blagojevich blogoshpere about the request of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald for a three month extension of the time to bring an indictment against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and suggests that Fitzgerald may have...

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

According to news reports, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is prepared to have armed guards bar Roland Burris from the Senate floor, despite the fact that Burris has been legally appointed to Barack Obama's open Senate seat by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. At the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 01, 2009 18 Comments

Although I only have been blogging for fewer than three months, I have identified a problem which must be quite common. I'll call it Blogger Mood Disorder. I have no psychiatric background, but I can identify the symptoms and have come up with the following...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 31, 2008 1 Comment

Legal Insurrection Blog started on October 12, 2008, with what is still my favorite post, Obama is Door No. 2.In those first days, readership consisted of me, a few relatives, a couple of neighbors, and some friends of relatives. Then a handful of other followers...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 31, 2008 0 Comments

Barack Obama loves to invoke the "rule of law" when it suits his political purposes, but not in the case of Rod Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris to Obama's empty Senate seat. In the Burris case, politics apparently trumps the law.There is no substantial legal...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 30, 2008 0 Comments

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris has put the Democratic party in a box. By appointing an African-American to the empty Senate seat, Blagojevich has forced his political opponents to risk being called racists. In supporting the appointment, Congressman Bobby Rush called opposition...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 30, 2008 1 Comment

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has reversed course, and now wants to release to the Illinois House impeachment committee some wiretap evidence relating to the federal criminal case against Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Previously, Fitzgerald went so far as to ask the House committee not even to...

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