You have every right to trust your financial advisor to act in your best interests. Advisors are, after all, obligated by law to do what is best for your financial accounts. Unfortunately, advisors may engage in unethical and illegal practices, costing you considerable investment losses.
At Meyer Wilson, our award-winning legal team of experienced attorneys has helped thousands of wronged investors nationwide after suffering losses from the misconduct and fraudulent acts of financial advisors and stockbrokers.
We have over 75 years of combined experience protecting investors’ securities and have recovered over $350 million for wronged investors via securities arbitration.
Do You Need a California Investment Fraud Attorney?
We have extensive experience going up against financial advisors and stockbrokers who commit investment fraud, mismanage portfolios, and engage in illegal activities. Our California securities fraud attorneys know how to bring individual claims and class or mass tort actions against companies and powerful corporations.
When you hire an attorney from our firm, you can rest easy knowing an entire team of proven professionals is looking out for your best interests. We will fight to recover your investment losses and take care of even the most complex case while you look toward the future.
Types of Securities Fraud Our Team Can Help You Recover from
By concentrating our practice on this complex area of law, our California investment lawyers have been able to help thousands of clients and families prevail in even the most challenging, high-stakes claims. We work diligently as a team to investigate your claim and explore your available options and can assist in a wide range of fraud and misconduct matters.
But most of the time, when securities fraud happens, it is difficult for people to figure out what type of fraud they’ve suffered. All you may know is that your portfolio lost value or you’re being charged excessive fees. But our California investment attorneys can help you determine which of the common types of fraud you’ve encountered:
- Unsuitable investment recommendations: This happens when your broker recommends investments not aligned with your risk tolerance or financial goals.
- Financial advisor misconduct: This occurs when financial advisors engage in unethical or illegal behavior that goes against your best interests.
- Broker misconduct: This refers to the illegal or unethical practices carried out by brokers, which can lead to significant financial losses for investors.
- Churning: Churning is the act of excessive buying and selling securities in a client’s account by a broker to generate commissions.
- Oil and gas scams: These are fraudulent schemes related to oil and gas sector investments. They often involve high-risk ventures misrepresented as safe.
- Real estate scams: This includes all fraudulent schemes related to real estate investments, such as property flipping, rental fraud, or pyramid schemes.
- Advance fee fraud: This type of fraud occurs when an investor is asked to pay a fee upfront before a promised service is delivered, but the service is never provided.
- Excessive 401(k) fees: Excessive 401(k) fees refers to the charging of unreasonably high fees for managing a 401(k) retirement savings account.
- Market manipulation: This is a type of fraud where an investor or group of investors influence a stock’s price to their advantage.
- Share pump-and-dump schemes: These are fraudulent practices where the price of a stock is artificially inflated (pumped), often using misleading statements, and then sold off (dumped) when the price is high, leading to a sudden drop in price and substantial losses for investors who bought in during the “pump.”
- Ponzi schemes: Ponzi schemes are a type of deception in which returns are paid to early investors with money from new investors instead of from the business’s profits.
- Offshore securities scams: These fraudulent investment schemes involve financial transactions outside of the victim’s home country, often aimed at evading regulatory oversight.
Warning Signs of Investment Fraud and Negligence
Still unsure if you’ve been a victim of securities fraud or financial advisor misconduct? There are common red flags the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warns the public about, including:
- Low-quality websites
- Unsolicited investment offers, especially via email
- Financial advisors from foreign countries
- Offers of “risk-free” investments
- Financial advisors asking you to pay for investments via credit card or wiring money to a bank
- Advisor puts pressure on you to invest right away
- Errors on your investment statements
If any of these potential investment frauds or misconduct are similar to what you experienced, our California securities fraud attorneys can help.
You can learn more about securities fraud and how to go up against a broker or advisor during a free consultation with an attorney from our team. We have spent over two decades honing our skills in this practice area and have the experience to assist clients who believe they have fallen prey to investment fraud.
Worried About Holding Your Stockbroker Accountable? We Can Help
Many clients are anxious or hesitant to hold their brokerage firm legally responsible for its misconduct. And we understand that you may have a good relationship with your financial advisor, but when they violate such an important part of the securities industry, fiduciary duty, and it affects you, you need to hold them liable.
After someone you trusted with your life savings or stock portfolio breaks your trust, our team of California securities fraud lawyers can handle the situation and communications with your broker. We’ll help compile the evidence of stockbroker negligence and filing requirements for any paperwork and claims.
What does a California Securities Misconduct Lawyer Charge?
Our California investment lawyers understand that clients come to us after suffering significant financial losses from investment fraud. We aim to relieve this financial burden, not add to it.
We charge nothing upfront to take cases and will only charge attorney’s fees later after we win the case. If we fail to secure you a settlement or verdict award, you will not pay a penny for the services we have already rendered. If we win, you will pay us from your financial award, not your pocket.
How Is Meyer Wilson Different than Other California Securities Law Firms?
Our firm earned widespread recognition for representing wronged investors who’ve suffered losses due to misconduct and fraud. Our team has been voted among The Best Lawyers in America® 2024, and here are a few reasons why:
We’ll Help You Overcome Financial Hurdles
After you’ve had life-changing losses in your securities portfolio, we understand you may be hesitant to hire legal help that could cost money you don’t have. That’s why our California investment attorneys don’t charge unless we can recover your losses.
But in addition to helping you recover your funds, we’ll cover expenses by advancing them. So when you work with our team, you don’t have to worry about legal matters or costs accumulated until you recover your funds.
Low-Volume High-Value
Despite our sizable team of California investment lawyers and legal support, we intentionally limit our number of securities fraud cases. We want to ensure we can give your misconduct case the attention it deserves.
By taking our time, we can investigate the potential negligence of your investment advisor or evaluate possible securities scams. We ensure we don’t overexert our team and never sacrifice the quality of our work for higher case numbers.
Contact Us to Help Recover Your California Portfolio Losses
If you believe you were a victim of investment fraud, seeking legal advice from an experienced California securities fraud lawyer is crucial. Our team at Meyer Wilson has a Los Angeles office dedicated to helping clients recover funds and hold wrongdoers across the state accountable.
We have a proven track record managing complex securities fraud cases while providing personalized attention and strategic counsel to guide you through the legal process.During your free consultation, our California investment attorneys will evaluate your case, assess the potential for a successful claim, and advise you on how to proceed. We are here to fight for your rights and pursue the compensation you deserve. Contact us today to take your first step toward justice.