Tennessee Investment Fraud Lawyers & FINRA Attorneys

Investment fraud lawyers serving Tennessee — statewide

Tennessee’s investor community has grown significantly alongside the state’s economic expansion — particularly in Nashville, which has emerged as one of the fastest-growing major cities in the United States and a significant center for healthcare, technology, and financial services. Nashville’s healthcare industry — anchored by HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and a dense network of healthcare companies — has created a large community of healthcare executives, physicians, and professionals with substantial equity compensation and retirement assets that are managed through national broker-dealer networks.

Memphis’s economy — traditionally anchored by logistics, distribution, and healthcare — has a significant investor community with manufacturing and corporate employee retirement assets. Knoxville’s proximity to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee creates a specific community of research professionals and federal contractors with unique investment profiles. Chattanooga’s growing technology sector has attracted younger professional investors with equity compensation exposure. Across all of these markets, Bakhtiari & Harrison has represented Tennessee investors in FINRA arbitration proceedings for over 25 years.

Investment fraud and misconduct claims we handle

• Unsuitable investment recommendations: brokers who recommend investments inconsistent with an investor’s risk tolerance, financial situation, or investment objectives violate FINRA Rule 2111 and Regulation Best Interest.
• Broker fraud and misrepresentation: material misstatements and omissions in connection with an investment recommendation 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 actionable as 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 complex or illiquid products including non-traded REITs, structured notes, variable annuities, leveraged ETFs, and private placements.
• Elder financial fraud: financial professionals who exploit elderly or vulnerable investors face enhanced liability under federal and state elder financial abuse statutes.
• Failure to supervise: brokerage firms bear independent liability under FINRA Rule 3110 for failing to adequately supervise their registered representatives.

Tennessee communities Bakhtiari & Harrison serves

Bakhtiari & Harrison represents investors throughout Tennessee. For Nashville-specific information visit the Nashville Investment Fraud Lawyers page. The firm also serves investors in Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Johnson City, Kingsport, Jackson, and all other Tennessee communities.

Why choose Bakhtiari & Harrison as your Tennessee 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 — the body that writes the rules governing every FINRA arbitration proceeding.
• Former Morgan Stanley in-house counsel. David Harrison spent years as in-house counsel at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and began his career as a Series 7-licensed registered 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.

Frequently asked questions — Tennessee investment fraud lawyers

How long does a Tennessee FINRA arbitration case typically take?

Standard FINRA arbitration cases typically take 12 to 18 months from the filing of the Statement of Claim through the issuance of the award. Cases with larger damages, multiple parties, or complex financial products sometimes take longer. FINRA’s simplified arbitration process — available for claims under $50,000 — typically resolves more quickly. Bakhtiari & Harrison manages all procedural deadlines and keeps Tennessee clients informed throughout the process.

What is Regulation Best Interest and how does it apply to Tennessee investors?

Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), effective June 30, 2020, requires broker-dealers to act in the best interest of retail customers when making investment recommendations — a higher standard than the prior suitability rule. Reg BI requires brokers to consider costs and reasonably available alternatives, and prohibits placing the broker’s financial interest ahead of the customer’s. For Tennessee investors with claims arising after June 2020, Reg BI provides an additional basis for liability that did not previously exist.

What if the person who defrauded me has been arrested or is under criminal investigation?

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

How do I know whether I actually have a viable Tennessee investment fraud claim?

The most reliable answer comes from a free initial consultation with an experienced securities attorney who reviews your account records, trade confirmations, and correspondence. Bakhtiari & Harrison provides free evaluations and can identify patterns of misconduct — unsuitable recommendations, unauthorized trading, excessive commissions, misrepresentation — that are not always obvious to investors who lack securities law expertise. Many Tennessee investors discover they have recoverable claims only after having their accounts reviewed.

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