Beyond the Courtroom: How MWW Fought for Investor Education in 2025

Why Meyer Wilson Werning Prioritizes Volunteer Advocacy

The threats facing American families get smarter every day. Fraudsters use new technology and psychological tricks to exploit investors of all ages. Recognizing this, David Meyer and Courtney Werning made a conscious decision this year to step out of the office and onto the podium.

We completed double-digit speaking engagements in 2025. We did it to share critical knowledge. When lawyers share their expertise, clients everywhere benefit. We want to ensure the legal community is ready to spot emerging threats and fight back.

How We Are Teaching Lawyers to Identify Investment Fraud

One of our main missions this year was teaching fellow attorneys how to identify and litigate fraud. By teaming up with local and state organizations, we helped build a bigger network of advocates who can protect investors.

• Columbus & Cleveland Initiatives: We partnered with the Columbus Bar Association and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association to teach local attorneys about the “Red Flags” of investment fraud. Now, lawyers across Ohio can recognize exactly when a client has been wronged.
• Protecting Our Seniors: Financial exploitation of the elderly is a massive problem. We worked with the Ohio State Bar Association to present “Financial Fraud Against the Elderly.” We engaged attorneys on the specific vulnerabilities senior investors face and how to safeguard their retirement savings.

Setting National Standards for Investor Protection

Our work extends far beyond Ohio. Meyer Wilson Werning intends to set the bar for investor protection across the country.

This year, partner Courtney Werning traveled to the PIABA (Public Investors Advocate Bar Association) Annual Meeting to lecture on “Regulation Best Interest” (Reg BI). This rule dictates how brokers must treat their clients. By explaining its nuances to other lawyers, we help ensure brokers face consequences when they put their own profits ahead of their clients’ well-being.

Modernizing Legal Defense for a Digital World

In 2025, the ground shifted beneath us. Bad actors aren’t just using cold calls anymore; they are deploying sophisticated algorithms to cast wider nets. They likely outpaced last year’s record-setting $18 billion in theft. To fight back, the legal community can’t rely on the methods of the past.

That is why we prioritized technological education this year:

• Mastering AI: In Atlanta, we lectured on “Artificial Intelligence in Law Firm Operations.” We explored how AI is not just about efficiency, but justice.
• Revolutionizing Arbitration: At the Practicing Law Institute, we taught “Technological Advancements in Arbitration.” As more disputes move to digital forums, we demonstrated how to use presentation software to make complex financial evidence undeniable to arbitrators.

By giving our peers these tools, we ensure that when fraudsters use technology to harm you, your lawyer has the technology to hold them accountable.

Why Sharing Legal Strategies Benefits All Investors

In a competitive industry, sharing strategies with other attorneys might seem backward. We operate under a different philosophy. We aren’t just fighting for our own clients; we are fighting for the integrity of the financial system.

This year was about raising the standard of representation for everyone. By educating attorneys in Columbus, Cleveland, and across the nation, we multiply the number of advocates capable of catching potential red flags of misconduct. We believe every victim of investment fraud, regardless of who they hire, deserves a lawyer who understands the red flags.

We share our playbook because when the legal community is stronger, financial predators have fewer places to hide.