The St. John’s University School of Law, St. Vincent De Paul
Legal Program, Inc., Securities Arbitration Clinic (“SAC”), is a
not-for-profit organization operating at St. John’s University
School of Law, which provides assistance to New York State small
investors who are unable to obtain legal representation because of
the small amount of their claims or the amount of legal work
required. Law students, under the supervision of a faculty member,
represent customers in handling their disputes with broker-dealers.
St. Vincent De Paul Legal Program, Inc., Securities Arbitration
Clinic and St. John’s University School of Law are educational
institutions and have no affiliation with the National Association of Securities
Dealers (NASD) or with NASD Regulation, Inc.
Eligibility Standards
SAC can consider representing only those investors who meet the
following eligibility standards:
1. Your claim cannot exceed $100,000.
2. You cannot have any major assets except your home and
your car.
3. You must have consulted three attorneys, who have
declined to represent you because of the amount or
nature of your claim, or a legal referral service that certifies
you are unlikely to obtain representation on a contingency
basis.
4. You must be a New York State Resident.
5. Preference will be given to senior citizens.
6. Your annual income and net worth must be within a
certain range. SAC will exercise discretion and flexibility
based upon individual circumstances regarding annual income, claim
amount and net worth.
If you believe that you meet these eligibility standards and you
wish to consider student representation on your claim, please
complete the Client Eligibility Questionnaire and mail it to:
St. Vincent De Paul Legal Program, Inc.
St. John’s University School of Law
Securities Arbitration Clinic
8000 Utopia Parkway
Belson Hall Room 2-26
Queens, New York 11439
If it appears that your case may be suitable for student
representation, a law student will call you to arrange an interview
at the Law School to learn more about your case. After that
meeting, if both you and the SAC agree that the SAC may
appropriately represent you in this matter, you and SAC will enter
into an agreement authorizing SAC to represent you. If, based on
the questionnaire, your matter does not appear suitable for the
SAC, you will be notified promptly by letter. Please do not
telephone SAC about the questionnaire. General information about
the securities arbitration process may be obtained from the NASD
website.
Investors are responsible for all costs, other than legal fees,
incurred in the arbitration, such as filing and hearing fees, which
are set forth in the NASD and NYSE informational packet (available
on the NASD and NYSE websites).
SAC does not charge legal fees for its services. SAC has
the resources to accept only a very few cases. A decision not to
take your case is not a decision about the merits of your
particular matter.