The Securities Arbitration Clinic is part of the St. Vincent de
Paul Legal Program, Inc. It is a one-semester clinic staffed by
second and third-year law students who help represent under-served
investors in securities arbitration claims involving
misrepresentation, unsuitability, unauthorized trading, excessive
trading (aka churning), and failure to supervise, among other
claims before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
(FINRA).
Under the supervision of Acting Director Christine
Lazaro, participants handle all phases of the client’s case and
gain valuable lawyering skills, including client interviewing and
counseling and negotiation and advocacy, as well as substantive
legal knowledge of securities laws and the securities arbitration
process. Depending on the phase of the case(s) students are
assigned, they may engage in:
- Factual and legal investigation
- Case assessment
- Drafting of Statements of Claim
- Propounding discovery requests
- Responding to discovery requests
- Pre-hearing scheduling conferences and conference calls
Clinical students may also consult and collaborate with
financial experts to conduct financial and legal analyses of cases
they handle. Additionally, students may write comment letters to
the SEC and/or FINRA in response to requests for public comment on
proposed rulemaking or other agency
activity.
Engaging in the local communities, Clinic participants conduct
Investor Education Seminars on such topics as:
- Investor rights and responsibilities
- Broker duties
- Common causes of action
- Tips for keeping track of investments
- Potential risks of investment products
- What to do if an investor’s brokerage firm goes out of
business
The Clinic also hosts a symposium entitled “Consumer Day:
Protecting Your Financial Future” which is a free all day investor
education program. In the past, the symposium has included experts
from the Attorney General’s Office, the SEC, the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the private plaintiffs’ bar.
To learn more about the Securities Arbitration Clinic, please
contact us.