Los Angeles Investment Fraud Lawyers at Bakhtiari & Harrison

Bakhtiari & Harrison are Los Angeles investment fraud lawyers headquartered in Los Angeles, representing investors and financial professionals in FINRA arbitration and securities litigation throughout the Los Angeles metro area and nationwide. The firm has recovered more than $250 million for clients. Ryan Bakhtiari served as Chairman of the FINRA National Arbitration and Mediation Committee and as President of PIABA. Partner David Harrison is a former New York City assistant district attorney and ex-Morgan Stanley in-house counsel who began his career as a Series 7-licensed registered representative at Shearson Lehman Brothers. Investor cases are handled on a contingency fee basis — no recovery, no fee. Initial consultations are free.

Investment fraud representation in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the largest financial market on the West Coast and one of the most active broker-dealer markets in the United States. The density of registered representatives, investment advisers, and financial product distributors — combined with the region’s high concentration of high-net-worth households, entertainment industry professionals, professional athletes, and business owners — makes Los Angeles investors disproportionately targeted for broker misconduct and investment fraud schemes.

FINRA hearings in Los Angeles

FINRA maintains a regional hearing location in Los Angeles. Most investor arbitration claims arising from Los Angeles-based accounts and brokers are heard in this location. Bakhtiari & Harrison has appeared before the Los Angeles FINRA arbitrator panel for decades and brings extensive familiarity with the regional arbitrator pool to every case.

Los Angeles investor profile — why local knowledge matters

Los Angeles investors include a disproportionate share of entertainment industry professionals — actors, directors, producers, musicians, and athletes — whose income is often irregular, lump-sum, and heavily targeted by financial advisers offering complex or high-commission products. Non-traded REITs, private placements, structured notes, and alternative investments have been aggressively marketed to this demographic in the Los Angeles market, and they represent a significant share of investor claims the firm handles from this region.

The firm also represents Los Angeles-area retirees, small business owners, and family offices who have suffered losses from broker misconduct in more conventional accounts.

Common investment fraud claims

Bakhtiari & Harrison prosecutes a wide range of investor claims in FINRA arbitration and California state and federal courts. Common claim types include:

• Broker fraud and misrepresentation: false statements or omissions of material fact in connection with the sale of a security (California Corporations Code § 25401).
• Unsuitable investment recommendations: recommendations that do not match the client’s age, risk tolerance, financial situation, or investment objectives (FINRA Rule 2111 / Regulation Best Interest).
• Unauthorized trading: transactions executed without the client’s prior knowledge or approval (California Corporations Code § 25235).
• Churning: excessive trading to generate commissions at the client’s expense (California Corporations Code § 25218).
• Overconcentration: failure to diversify, exposing the client to catastrophic loss in a single security, sector, or product.
• Failure to supervise: the brokerage firm’s independent liability when it fails to detect or prevent a broker’s misconduct (FINRA Rule 3110).
• Ponzi and pyramid schemes: fraudulent investment schemes paying earlier investors from new capital rather than genuine returns.

How FINRA arbitration works — step by step

1. File a Statement of Claim. Bakhtiari & Harrison files the claim with FINRA on your behalf, setting out the facts, legal theories, and damages sought. The respondent — typically the brokerage firm and the individual broker — has 45 days to answer.
2. Select the arbitration panel. For claims over $100,000, a three-arbitrator panel is appointed. The firm has decades of experience with California-based FINRA arbitrator pools and brings genuine familiarity to the panel selection process.
3. Complete discovery. Both sides exchange account statements, trade confirmations, suitability questionnaires, internal firm communications, and supervisory records.
4. Attend pre-hearing conferences. A FINRA case administrator schedules conferences to set the hearing calendar and resolve procedural issues.
5. Present your case at the hearing. Both sides present evidence, call witnesses, and cross-examine. Bakhtiari & Harrison attorneys are experienced FINRA hearing advocates.
6. Receive the award. The panel issues a binding written award, typically within 30 days of the final hearing session.

Why choose Bakhtiari & Harrison for a Los Angeles investment fraud case

• $250 million+ recovered. Four decades of FINRA arbitration results for investors across California and nationwide.
• $54 million Citigroup award. The largest FINRA arbitration award of 2011.
• FINRA leadership. Ryan Bakhtiari served as Chairman of the FINRA National Arbitration and Mediation Committee and as President of PIABA. Partner David Harrison is a former New York City assistant district attorney and ex-Morgan Stanley in-house counsel who began his career as a Series 7-licensed registered representative at Shearson Lehman Brothers.
• California Corporations Code expertise. The firm layers state law claims alongside federal claims to maximize recovery options.
• Contingency fee representation. No recovery, no fee. Initial consultations are free.

Bakhtiari & Harrison represents investors throughout California. For a full overview of the firm’s statewide practice, California legal framework, and complete list of California locations, visit the California Investment Fraud Lawyers page.

Contact Bakhtiari & Harrison — free consultation for Los Angeles investors