Experiencing significant financial losses due to securities fraud or professional misconduct can be devastating, particularly if you’ve entrusted your life savings or retirement funds to a financial advisor or firm.
If you’re an investor who has lost $100,000 or more due to misconduct by a stockbroker, financial advisor, or investment firm, a Hawaii securities lawyer can help.
At Meyer Wilson, we have helped thousands of investors nationwide recover losses caused by unscrupulous or negligent financial professionals. With $350+ million recovered for our clients since our founding in 1999, we are nationally recognized for our dedication to investor rights.
Set up a free consultation today and let our nationwide securities lawyers help with your financial recovery.
Why Investors Should Hire a Securities Lawyer Serving Hawaii
When your financial future is on the line, attempting to take on a brokerage firm or investment advisor alone can be an uphill battle. Securities law is complex, and financial institutions often have extensive legal teams dedicated to defending against investor claims.Â
That’s why it’s critical to work with a skilled Hawaii securities fraud attorney who understands the unique challenges of investor claims in the islands. There are a variety of reasons to consider legal representation if you’ve experienced significant investment losses.
Comprehensive Assessment of Your Losses
Understanding the full extent of your financial losses is the first and most important step in pursuing compensation. Losses are not always straightforward. Market declines, improper risk allocations, misrepresentations, or unauthorized trading may all play a role.Â
Our legal team can meticulously analyze your account statements, investment strategy, and communication with your advisor to determine exactly how much you’ve lost and why.
A qualified securities attorney will consider more than just your net losses. We’ll examine lost opportunity costs, taxes, fees, and any interest you may be entitled to recover. This level of detail is crucial in building a solid case for full financial recovery.
Identifying Fraud, Misrepresentation, and Negligence
Investment losses are not always the result of bad luck. Sometimes, they are the direct consequence of misconduct or negligence by a financial professional. Brokers and financial advisors have a legal obligation to act in their clients’ best interests. When they fail to uphold that standard, you have the right to seek justice.
Our lawyers will investigate your case to determine whether your financial professional:
- Recommended unsuitable investments
- Made material misstatements or failed to disclose risks
- Engaged in unauthorized trading or excessive commissions (“churning”)
- Breached fiduciary duties or violated FINRA rules
We build compelling cases by gathering documentary evidence, consulting industry experts, and analyzing financial records to pinpoint where securities misconduct occurred.
Settlement Negotiations and Mediation
Most securities fraud cases involving Hawaii investors are resolved without a trial. This is largely because brokerage agreements almost always include mandatory arbitration clauses, meaning disputes are handled through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), not in state or federal court.
However, many of these disputes never even reach arbitration and instead are resolved through settlement negotiations. Our team has extensive experience negotiating favorable outcomes for our clients. We can represent you during direct negotiations or through mediation, a voluntary process where a neutral third party helps facilitate a resolution.
Mediation allows you to retain more control over the outcome and can often be resolved more quickly than arbitration. During mediation, our Hawaii securities attorneys advocate for your best interests while working toward a fair agreement. If no agreement is reached, we are fully prepared to proceed to arbitration.
Arbitration through FINRA
If your case can not be settled, it will proceed to FINRA arbitration, a private dispute resolution process. In arbitration, both sides present their case to a panel of arbitrators who will issue a legally binding decision. Unlike mediation, arbitration is not voluntary, and the outcome is final, with very limited grounds for appeal.
At Meyer Wilson, our experienced securities lawyers serving Hawaii approach every case with the expectation that it may go to arbitration. Our preparation is thorough, our arguments are strategic, and our focus is always on winning the compensation our clients deserve.
Steps in FINRA’s arbitration process include:
- Pre-hearing discovery and briefing
- Direct and cross-examination of witnesses
- Detailed presentations of financial data and misconduct
- Vigorous legal argument
We understand how FINRA arbitrators think because we’ve appeared before them hundreds of times. Our experience in the arbitration process has helped our clients recover millions in awards and settlements.
Types of Securities Cases We Handle in Hawaii
Our firm focuses exclusively on cases involving financial advisor or broker misconduct. While we understand that many investors suffer losses in risky ventures like cryptocurrencies or unregistered securities, we typically only handle claims where a licensed financial professional gave bad advice or mismanaged your money.
Examples of cases we handle include:
- Unsuitable investment recommendations
- Omission of risk disclosures
- Elder financial abuse
- Ponzi schemes facilitated by brokers
- Breach of fiduciary duty
- Failure to supervise by investment firms
If you’re unsure whether your case qualifies, we encourage you to contact us and learn more about your legal rights to pursue damages.
Legal Representation Across the Hawaiian Islands
No matter where you are located, our experienced legal team can help. We offer remote consultations and nationwide representation. You don’t need to travel to the mainland to get top-tier legal help. We work with clients throughout Hawaii by phone, video conferencing, and secure digital document portals.
We’ve successfully represented clients against nearly every major brokerage firm in the country and are familiar with the practices and tactics they use. Let our nationally recognized legal team put that knowledge to work for you.
Get Help from a Knowledgeable Securities Attorney Serving Hawaii Today
Securities fraud and investment misconduct can derail your financial goals, but you don’t have to face it alone. At Meyer Wilson, our team of award-winning securities fraud lawyers is committed to helping investors in Hawaii recover what they’ve lost and restore their financial future.
Named among The Best Lawyers in America® by U.S. News, our team has decades of experience representing clients in securities arbitration and litigation.
We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. Reach out today by phone or through our website to set up your free, no-obligation case review.Â