Charleston Investment Fraud Lawyers & FINRA Attorneys

Investment fraud lawyers serving Charleston and the Lowcountry

Charleston’s investor community reflects the city’s economic transformation from a historically port-dependent economy into one of the South’s most dynamic metropolitan areas. The Medical University of South Carolina — one of the Southeast’s leading academic medical centers — has created a large community of physicians, researchers, and healthcare administrators whose equity compensation and retirement savings are managed through broker-dealer relationships with the same conflicts prevalent in other major university medical markets. Roper St. Francis Healthcare and Trident Health System add additional layers of healthcare professional investor wealth throughout the metropolitan area.

Joint Base Charleston — a major installation combining Air Force and Navy operations — creates a significant military investor community in the Charleston area. Active duty personnel, veterans, and civilian contractors whose TSP accounts and military retirement pay are targeted by unsuitable rollover recommendations at transition points represent a consistent FINRA arbitration claim category throughout the Lowcountry. The rapid growth of Charleston’s technology sector — attracting relocating companies and professionals from larger markets — has produced additional equity compensation exposure among a growing professional community.

The broader Charleston metropolitan area — Mount Pleasant, Summerville, Goose Creek, North Charleston, and the Sea Islands communities — has experienced extraordinary growth over the past two decades, attracting significant relocating wealth from the Northeast and Midwest. This community’s transferred investment accounts are targeted at transition points by brokers who recommend unsuitable product replacements to generate commissions at the investor’s expense. Charleston’s substantial retirement and affluent second-home community along the coastline faces the same variable annuity abuse and elder financial fraud patterns prevalent throughout coastal South Carolina.

Investment fraud and misconduct claims we handle

• Unsuitable investment recommendations: recommendations inconsistent with the investor’s risk tolerance, financial situation, or objectives violate FINRA Rule 2111 and Regulation Best Interest.
• Broker fraud and misrepresentation: material misstatements and omissions in connection with investment recommendations are actionable under federal securities law and FINRA rules.
• Unauthorized trading: executing transactions without prior client authorization violates the account agreement and FINRA rules.
• Churning and excessive trading: excessive trading to generate commissions at the investor’s expense is a suitability violation.
• Overconcentration: failing to maintain adequate diversification in a single security, sector, or product is a suitability violation.
• Product failure: unsuitable recommendations of non-traded REITs, structured notes, variable annuities, leveraged ETFs, and private placements.
• Elder financial fraud: financial professionals who exploit elderly investors face enhanced liability under federal and state elder financial abuse statutes.
• Failure to supervise: brokerage firms bear independent liability under FINRA Rule 3110 when supervisory failures allow broker misconduct to cause investor harm.

Why choose Bakhtiari & Harrison as your Charleston SC investment fraud lawyers

• $250 million+ recovered. Four decades of results for investors in FINRA arbitration and securities litigation nationwide.
• Former FINRA NAMC Chairman. Ryan Bakhtiari served as Chairman of the FINRA National Arbitration and Mediation Committee from 2013 to 2017.
• Former Morgan Stanley in-house counsel. David Harrison spent years as Morgan Stanley Dean Witter in-house counsel and began his career as a Series 7-licensed representative at Shearson Lehman Brothers.
• FINRA hearings near you. FINRA arbitration hearings are held at the venue nearest the claimant’s residence.
• Contingency fee representation. No recovery, no fee. Initial consultations are free.

For statewide South Carolina coverage visit the South Carolina Investment Fraud Lawyers page.

Frequently asked questions — Charleston SC investment fraud lawyers

Do I need a local Charleston attorney to bring a FINRA arbitration claim?

No. FINRA arbitration hearings are held at the venue nearest the claimant’s residence — not at the attorney’s office location. The most important factor is specific FINRA arbitration experience and expertise with your type of misconduct. Bakhtiari & Harrison represents Charleston investors nationwide. Ryan Bakhtiari’s chairmanship of the FINRA NAMC and David Harrison’s Morgan Stanley in-house counsel background give this firm capabilities no local general practice firm can match.

Does the arbitration clause in my brokerage account prevent me from bringing a claim?

No. The arbitration clause determines the forum — FINRA arbitration rather than court — but does not limit your substantive legal rights or recoverable damages. FINRA arbitration is a fully adequate forum that has produced individual awards exceeding $50 million. The clause does not protect the broker-dealer from liability for misconduct.

What if the investment promoter who defrauded me has been criminally charged or arrested?

Civil recovery and criminal proceedings are entirely independent. A criminal prosecution does not automatically compensate civil victims — and waiting for criminal proceedings to conclude risks allowing civil claims to become time-barred. Bakhtiari & Harrison pursues civil recovery through FINRA arbitration and federal court independently of any criminal proceedings. If the fraud was facilitated through a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, that firm may face separate FINRA arbitration liability regardless of criminal proceedings against the promoter.

Can I recover punitive damages from my Charleston broker-dealer?

Yes, in appropriate cases. FINRA arbitration panels can award punitive damages when the broker’s conduct involved fraud, recklessness, or willful violation of securities laws. South Carolina’s Unfair Trade Practices Act provides additional remedies in appropriate cases. Bakhtiari & Harrison evaluates punitive damages potential in every initial case review.

Contact our investment fraud lawyers — free consultation

Contact Bakhtiari & Harrison for a free, confidential consultation. Our FINRA attorneys evaluate every potential investor claim at no charge. Investor cases are handled on a contingency fee basis — no recovery, no fee.

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

Call: (800) 382-7969 | Contact Us