Experienced Advocates Standing Up For Investors

Whether it’s your retirement account or a diverse stock portfolio, you probably trust that your financial advisor or brokerage firm handling your investments will make smart decisions to help your investment grow with the hopes of providing an investment strategy consummate with your risk tolerance. Unfortunately, when a financial advisor or brokerage firm acts irresponsibly or takes part in negligent misconduct, you may end up losing the money you worked so hard to earn. That trust you had is quickly broken, leaving you feeling as if you made a mistake or worse, that your money is gone for good.

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Securities Arbitration Services

Attorneys Charles A. Karcher and John J. Marinan, of counsel, at Karcher Law Firm, each have more than 20 years of experience handling a wide range of securities claims where a financial advisor or brokerage’s actions or inactions resulted in damages for investors. Through the filing of a securities arbitration claim, we have helped satisfied clients over the years recover money they thought they had lost, and we can help you too.

If a stockbroker, financial advisor or brokerage firm took actions, failed to act in accordance with applicable standards, or engaged in misconduct that resulted in significant financial loss for you or a loved one, you may have grounds to seek redress for compensation through the filing of a securities arbitration with FINRA.

Unlike litigation which seeks compensation through a judge and jury, a FINRA arbitration is a streamlined process that involves an impartial panel of one to three people who hear evidence from investors and respondents. The panel then makes the decision on whether there is a claim for loss and what damages should be awarded to the investor.

While a FINRA arbitration is a streamlined process, it is, nevertheless, still incredibly complex, requiring in-depth knowledge of the law and regulations, an astute ability to interpret contractual language, and arbitration experience. Additionally, claims regarding a FINRA securities arbitration filing are subject to complex rules and regulations regarding eligibility for filing a claim.

We Have The Experience You Need To Recover Damages

Because most FINRA arbitrations generally follow lawsuit-like rules and procedures, our team at Karcher Law Firm uses the same skills and approach we do with litigation matters. We take a highly detail-oriented approach that takes into account information and documentation provided by the investor and their investment advisors. We gather and review every piece of evidence to ensure we have the complete picture of what happened, whether damages are owed and how much the investor should receive as compensation.

We have decades of experience handling many different types of stockbroker misconduct, including:

  • Churning – when a stockbroker makes excessive trades on a client’s account for the purposes of boosting their own commission
  • Annuity Switches – when a broker switches an old annuity to a new one for the purposes of securing a bonus or substantial commission for the purchase
  • Failure to Diversify/Overconcentration – when a broker uses a client’s assets to purchase stock from only one company or industry instead of diversifying the portfolio to mitigate risk
  • Selling Away – when a stockbroker suggests purchase of securities that are not on the approved list of products offered or transacted by and through the brokerage firm
  • Unauthorized Trading/Trading Without Permission – when a broker makes a trade without first securing consent from the investor
  • Private Placement Purchases – when a broker purchases securities through private placement instead of on the open market. FINRA Regulatory Notice 10-22 requires a financial advisor, and his/her firm to conduct a reasonable investigations in a Private Placement and/or Regulation D Offering.
  • Suitability – when a stockbroker recommends making investments that are not suitable for the client’s age or investment goals
  • Oil and Gas Partnerships – when private oil and gas offerings are sold to investors as part of a scam or scheme to increase commission for a brokerage firm that has a personal stake in the transaction
  • Failure to Supervise – when trading activity is not properly monitored by brokerage management and significant losses occur because of misconduct
  • Puerto Rico municipal bond purchases – investor losses due to broker misconduct after purchasing municipal bonds from the Puerto Rico government, which is currently struggling to repay its debts

 

If a financial advisor or stockbroker misled you, breached a fiduciary duty or took part in misconduct that resulted in financial loss, we are prepared to fight on your behalf for redress and compensation.