FINRA Attorneys for Securities Employee Regulations

30 November, 2012 @ 5:12 by admin

If you, as a registered representative or stockbroker have received a notification from FINRA pertaining to regulatory investigation or legal proceedings, what would you do? You will likely go with the FINRA attorneys appointed by your employer brokerage firm. Sadly, many brokerage employees don’t even realize at the outset that this does more harm than good to their case. Here’s the route to disaster in a typical case:

• The employer firm decides to appoint (and pay for) an attorney to represent the brokerage employee. The employee accepts this arrangement based on the belief that the attorney will represent the best interests of the employee.
• Now, there is a strong probability of a conflict of interests as the attorney is being directly paid by the employer brokerage firm, but is representing a brokerage employee. In an ideal situation, the attorney in question should fully disclose the nature of this conflict, and/or withdraw from the representation. This rarely happens as most FINRA attorneys focus on the best interest of the brokerage firm, and not the employee.
• Finally, it is the employee that bears the impact of a lopsided representation. The irony is this cost could be much more than the cost of retaining a private attorney.

At the Law Offices of Attorney Stuart D Meissner, we have a significant degree of experience in representing registered representatives and stock brokers, and representing their best interests rather than their employer brokerage firm. We urge brokerage employees to follow some simple steps to ensure that their reputation doesn’t suffer a dent from skewed legal representation. Here’s what the attorneys at the Law Offices of Stuart D Meissner advice:

• If your employer has agreed to bear the expenses of your legal representation, you should insist on selecting your own FINRA attorneys.
• Next, you should also ensure that it is you who signs the retainer agreement with your chosen attorney though your employer pays/reimburses the fees for legal representation.

Following these simple steps will ensure that you get legal representation that is in your best interest, and can uphold your professional reputation. At the Law Offices of Stuart D Meissner, our FINRA and SEC attorneys are adept at representing registered representatives or stockbrokers and safeguarding them from unwarranted disciplinary action. To know how we can help you fight a fair and meticulous legal battle, visit us at www.smeissner.com. To directly speak with us, call us Toll Free at (866) 764-3100.