The St. Vincent de Paul Legal Program Inc., Securities
Arbitration Clinic, is a not-for-profit organization operating at
St. John’s University School of Law, which offers direct
representation to New York State’s under-served small investor
community. The Securities Arbitration Clinic assists
under-served New York small investors with securities disputes with
broker-dealers in arbitrations before the two primary
self-regulatory organizations in the securities industry, the National Association of Securities
Dealers Dispute Resolution (“NASD”) and the New York Stock Exchange
(“NYSE”).
The two primary purposes of a direct representation clinical
program is to: (1) provide legal representation to a particular
community which is underserved by the legal community at-large, and
(2) simultaneously teach students to make the transition from law
students to law practitioners. Clinical experiences are intended to
accomplish the transition in a thoughtful, purposeful manner. The
key is that the student is the lawyer-in-training -- not the
assistant, not the paralegal, but the actual
lawyer-in-training. Students interested in corporate and
securities law are given the opportunity to counsel clients, draft
legal documents and develop their advocacy skills while deepening
their substantive knowledge of securities laws and becoming
acquainted with the functioning of the securities industry.
Clinical students work with experts in the securities industry, who
serve as financial consultants to the Securities Arbitration
Clinic.
The Securities Arbitration Clinic was established, in part, from
a generous grant from the Office of the New York State Attorney
General, Eliot Spitzer and donations from St. John’s University
School of Law alumni.