From Jenice's interview for the Masters of the Courtroom series on ReelLawyers.com.
View Transcript
From Jenice's interview for the Masters of the Courtroom series on ReelLawyers.com.
View Transcript
If you have a problem with a brokerage firm or investment advisor, Malecki Law is a skilled and proven New York FINRA Investor Arbitration law firm with decades of experience and a stellar track record. Lead attorney Jenice Malecki has been an advisor to the FINRA Arbitration Board of Directors through the National Arbitration and Mediation Committee, as well as commented on and helped form new FINRA Arbitration rules and helped educate arbitrators for FINRA’s forum.
Malecki Law will guide you from the intake of your case through the hearing in a way that makes the process as easy and transparent as possible. We believe you should always know what to expect, what is going on in your case, and have material input in the strategy and focus. It is our job to present you with options both for how to proceed with the case, as well as how to resolve it. Your problem is our mission and we leave no stone unturned.
Our investor arbitration clients range from prominent sports figures and Fortune 500 entrepreneurs to more vulnerable groups like retirees and elderly widows, who lost their nest eggs and the safety of their retirement income as a result of fraudulent and/or unsuitable advice from financial professionals.
Our New York FINRA Investor Arbitration law firm has experience and success bringing actions at FINRA, the SEC and other self-regulatory forums, as well as private arbitration forums like JAMS Endispute and the American Arbitration Association (AAA) for individuals and groups including:
Our FINRA Investor Arbitration lawyers in New York zealously prosecute investor rights. Our team has successfully recovered tens of millions of dollars in securities industry settlements and awards for investors through arbitration and mediation.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) handles most securities arbitrations, with limited exceptions. Some specific contracts, usually larger disputes with investment advisory firms, designate the American Arbitration Association (AAA) or JAMS Endispute.
As an industry-standard, investors sign arbitration agreements as part of new account forms with a brokerage firm, with disputes to be handled by Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), a self-regulatory body for all brokerage firms in the United States. FINRA’s constitution also allows investors to choose arbitration (unilaterally) if the agreement with the brokerage firm does not have an arbitration clause.
How Do I File a FINRA Arbitration?Arbitration is an alternative to court. It is like being in court, with a lot less formality and expense involved. Instead of a courthouse, it takes place in a conference room. It all starts with the filing of a statement of claim – what incourt would be called a complaint. Instead of a judge, there is a chairperson that makes discovery rulings in the arbitration. Our FINRA Investor Arbitration attorneys in New York can guide you through the process from filing to hearing – and lawyers in general are statistically proven to fair better than pro se (self-represented) parties in the FINRA forum.
There is a discovery period but no depositions. After discovery, the parties either settle or go to a hearing starts where there are opening statements, closing statements, witness examinations and cross-examinations, documentary evidence introduced, objections, motions. A decision is made approximately 30 days after the close of the hearing. A party can win their entire claim, nothing, or anything in between. Arbitrators are not required to give reasons for their decision.
If you are an industry professional, by signing a Form U4, your broker-dealer is required to arbitrate with you, unless a specific agreement has been signed designating another forum for the dispute.
The arbitration process begins with customers filing a statement of claim for arbitration with FINRA. Find out more about filing FINRA Arbitrations here: How Do I File a FINRA Arbitration?
The most common investor claims include:
Click here for detailed information on Typical Investor Claims
Click here for FINRA Rule 12206 which speaks to “Time Limitation on Submission of Claims.”
FINRA continues to be the largest dispute resolution forum in the securities industry and they are making the treatment of senior and other vulnerable investors a key priority in 2016.
See article on FINRA Zoom arbitrations and mediations
For further reading, please check the following blog posts: