An investment fraud attorney is an attorney who helps people who have lost their investment because their advisers or stock brokers mismanaged their money. If you are pursuing an investment fraud case, you may be wondering how to find the right investment fraud attorney to represent you. Finding the right fraud attorney can make a huge difference in the outcome of your case. Before you choose an attorney, it is important to consider what you really need to look for in a fraud attorney.
Experience
Securities and investment law can be an extremely complicated and vast aspect of law, with too many rules and regulations. Further, litigation is often very complicated due to arbitration provisions in a lot of investment contracts. With all these laws, rules and regulations, a qualified attorney who specializes in the area of securities and investment fraud can be very helpful to you. Determine how many investment and securities fraud cases the attorney has handled. Find out what types of investment and securities fraud cases the attorney has handled, and their outcomes. Ideally you should select an attorney who is well experienced in both court litigation and FINRA arbitration, because in the beginning, it may not be obvious which is suitable for your circumstances.
Membership In PIABA
Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, or PIABA, is a voluntary bar association, and most attorneys who handle securities arbitration and litigation, maintain membership in this organization. Look for an attorney who is a member of PIABA, as this indicates that the attorney does a significant amount of investment and securities law work.
Reputation
Before choosing any fraud attorney to handle your investment fraud claims, make sure you check the publicly available record or information about such attorney. Check with your state bar association to obtain public information about any lawyer you consider. This is to make sure there are not any warning signs of complaints, impending investigations, or any disciplinary matters.
Attorney's Fees
Find out how the attorney gets paid. There can be several ways that attorneys get paid for their services. While some attorneys may ask for an upfront payment as a retainer, many fraud attorneys will agree to work on contingency, meaning that they only get paid if and when you receive a settlement. Before you agree to any form of payment, make sure you fully understand the amount the attorney wants, and how you are required to pay it. Everything should be clearly stated on the contract, so read the contract carefully before signing it.
Considerations
Over the years, many people have lost their investment money but were not exactly sure how it happened. If you are in such an unfortunate situation, you need to get legal advice and guidance. Your broker or investment advisor may not be telling you the whole story. A competent investment fraud attorney can help you know your rights. A proficient fraud attorney can let you know whether or not you have a case, and he or she won’t sugarcoat it. You’ll be told the truth. It is crucial that you speak with an experienced fraud attorney that specializes on investment fraud. You don't want to waste time, talk to a reputable and experienced investment fraud attorney about your case.