San Diego Investment Fraud Lawyers & FINRA Attorneys

Bakhtiari & Harrison are San Diego investment fraud lawyers representing investors in FINRA arbitration and securities litigation throughout San Diego County 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 San Diego

San Diego is one of California’s largest financial markets, with a significant retired military and veteran population, a growing biotechnology sector, and a large retiree community concentrated in communities such as La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, and Coronado. These demographics — retirees with fixed-income needs and veterans with defined benefit transition assets — are disproportionately targeted by advisers selling high-commission unsuitable products.

FINRA hearings in San Diego

FINRA maintains a regional hearing location in San Diego. Most investor arbitration claims arising from San Diego County accounts are heard locally. Bakhtiari & Harrison represents San Diego investors in FINRA arbitration and in the Southern District of California for federal securities litigation.

San Diego investor profile

The San Diego market includes a significant concentration of retired military personnel — often receiving substantial lump-sum distributions from Thrift Savings Plans, pension rollovers, or separation pay — who are frequently targeted by financial advisers with unsuitable products marketed as income-generating or capital-protected. Non-traded REITs, variable annuities with excessive surrender charges, and private placement investments have all been the subject of San Diego investor claims the firm has handled.

San Diego’s biotech and life sciences sector also produces a population of high-earning professionals with equity compensation that has been mishandled by investment advisers unfamiliar with the specific risks of concentrated biotech positions.

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 San Diego 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 maximise 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 San Diego investors

If you have suffered investment losses, contact Bakhtiari & Harrison for a free initial consultation.

Investor cases are handled on a contingency fee basis — no recovery, no fee.

Call: (800) 382-7969 | Contact Us