FINRA Attorneys — Bakhtiari & Harrison

Nationwide Representation for Financial Professionals

Bakhtiari & Harrison are FINRA attorneys representing investors and financial professionals nationwide in FINRA arbitration, securities litigation, and FINRA and SEC regulatory proceedings. Over four decades, 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, and has been a Super Lawyer every year from 2005 to 2026. Partner David Harrison is a former New York City assistant district attorney and former Morgan Stanley in-house counsel who began his career as a Series 7-licensed registered representative at Shearson Lehman Brothers and has been a Super Lawyer every year from 2015 to 2026. Investor cases are handled on a contingency fee basis — no recovery, no fee. Initial consultations are free.

What Our FINRA Attorneys and Securities Arbitration Lawyers Do

Bakhtiari & Harrison provides FINRA attorney representation across two distinct client groups, each with different needs and legal strategies.

For investors, the firm files and prosecutes FINRA arbitration claims to recover losses caused by broker fraud, unsuitable investments, misrepresentation, churning, unauthorized trading, and financial mismanagement. The firm has represented individual investors, high-net-worth clients, entertainment industry professionals, and institutional investors in complex FINRA proceedings against major Wall Street firms.

For financial professionals, including registered representatives, brokers, and RIAs, the firm defends against customer complaints, represents clients facing FINRA and SEC regulatory investigations, Rule 8210 requests, and Wells Notices, pursues expungement of meritless CRD disclosures, and handles employment disputes, including compensation claims, promissory note defense, and wrongful termination. When you receive a FINRA 8210 request, a Wells Notice, or an SEC subpoena, act immediately: the earliest stage of a regulatory matter is when the most options are available.

Why Investment Fraud and FINRA Arbitration Cases Require Specialized Counsel

FINRA arbitration is not the same as court litigation. It operates under its own procedural rules, its own discovery framework, and its own standards for arbitrator selection. Awards are binding and virtually unreviewable on the merits. The quality of representation, from the Statement of Claim through the evidentiary hearing, determines the outcome. Roughly 69% of FINRA customer arbitration cases resolve by settlement rather than a hearing, according to FINRA’s own dispute resolution statistics, which makes the negotiating position built early in a case decisive.

Brokerage firms are represented by experienced, well-resourced defense counsel who handle FINRA arbitration cases every day. Investors and financial professionals deserve equally specialized representation.

Ryan Bakhtiari served as Chairman of the FINRA National Arbitration and Mediation Committee, the advisory body that makes rules and policy for FINRA arbitration, and presently serves as a FINRA arbitrator. This is a level of institutional knowledge of FINRA arbitration that no general practice firm can offer, on either side of the docket.

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FINRA cases move fast, and the quality of your representation from day one shapes the outcome. Get a free case evaluation.

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How FINRA Arbitration Works — Step by Step

1. File a Statement of Claim. The claimant files with FINRA’s Dispute Resolution Services, describing the dispute, identifying the parties, and specifying damages. Initial filing fees vary by claim amount, claim type, and applicable FINRA code. Current customer filing fees should be checked against FINRA’s fee schedule.
2. Respondent files an Answer. The brokerage firm or broker has 45 days to respond.
3. Arbitrator selection. Both parties receive lists of potential arbitrators and have the opportunity to rank and strike candidates. For claims exceeding $100,000, FINRA generally selects a three-arbitrator panel; smaller claims may be decided by one arbitrator or under simplified procedures.
4. Pre-hearing conferences and discovery. The parties exchange documents and information. FINRA’s discovery rules are more limited than federal court but still require careful management.
5. Evidentiary hearing. Both sides present evidence and argument before the arbitration panel. Hearings typically last one to several days.
6. The panel generally endeavors to issue the award within 30 business days after the record closes. Awards are binding and enforceable in federal court.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and SEC Inquiries: What Financial Advisors Need to Know

Financial professionals who receive a Rule 8210 request or an SEC inquiry often make the same mistake: responding without counsel, on the assumption that cooperation will resolve things quickly. It usually does the opposite. Statements and documents provided during an investigation may later be used in a disciplinary or other regulatory proceeding.

• A Rule 8210 request gives FINRA broad authority to compel documents, testimony, and information from member firms and associated persons. Responding is not optional. Failure to respond fully and on time can result in serious sanctions, including suspension or a bar from the securities industry. Bakhtiari & Harrison scopes the request, asserts applicable privilege, and prepares both the written response and any required testimony.
• If FINRA staff preliminarily determines that formal discipline may be warranted, it may initiate a Wells Notice, formal notice that FINRA or the SEC staff intends to recommend charges, along with an invitation to respond before formal proceedings are filed. A strong Wells submission can prevent charges from being filed at all, or narrow their scope significantly; a weak one accelerates the path to a formal hearing. Ryan Bakhtiari’s institutional experience with FINRA enforcement shapes how the firm builds these submissions.
• Most matters that survive the Wells stage are resolved through an Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC), a negotiated settlement, rather than a formal hearing before FINRA’s Office of Hearing Officers. Deciding whether to accept an AWC, and on what terms, is one of the most consequential calls a financial professional will make; Bakhtiari & Harrison weighs the strength of FINRA’s case and the realistic hearing outcome before advising either way. If a matter does go to hearing, David Harrison’s background as a former New York City assistant district attorney gives the firm direct trial experience most securities defense firms don’t have.

SEC investigations raise the stakes further. The SEC can bring civil actions in federal court in addition to administrative proceedings, seek disgorgement and civil penalties on top of industry bars, and refer serious cases to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. Financial professionals are also subject to state securities regulators operating under Blue Sky laws. Bakhtiari & Harrison represents clients through the full SEC and state regulatory process, from an informal inquiry through formal charges.

Regulatory scrutiny most often starts with a customer complaint, an undisclosed outside business activity, a late or missing U4 disclosure, a routine firm examination, a whistleblower referral, or an automated market surveillance flag.

Bakhtiari & Harrison: A FINRA Arbitration Law Firm With a Proven Track Record

• $54.1 million FINRA arbitration award against Citigroup Global Markets (2011): the largest FINRA award of that year, confirmed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. The award included $17 million in punitive damages. Reported by the Wall Street Journal as the largest FINRA arbitration award ever levied against a major Wall Street brokerage in favor of individual investors.
• $8.9 million arbitration award defended on petition to vacate: Brezden v. Associated Securities Corp.
• High-net-worth and entertainment industry representation: the firm has represented professional athletes and entertainment industry professionals in claims involving significant investment losses.
• Lead class action counsel: in federal and California state court securities proceedings.
• $250 million+ total recovered: for clients in FINRA arbitration and litigation over four decades.

See what clients say about working with the firm in our client reviews.

FINRA Hearing Locations — We Go Where You Are

FINRA operates 69 hearing venues across the United States, including at least one in every state. The hearing is usually assigned to the FINRA location nearest to where the claimant lived when the dispute arose, although the parties may agree to another location, which means the firm’s Studio City attorneys represent clients at FINRA hearing locations nationwide without requiring clients to travel to California.

Frequently asked questions

Contact Our FINRA Attorneys — Free Consultation

Bakhtiari & Harrison offers a free initial consultation for all potential FINRA matters. Investor cases are handled on a contingency fee basis: no recovery, no fee. Financial professional matters are handled on a flat fee or hourly basis, with fees discussed at the initial consultation.

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