Meyer Wilson Werning Principal Courtney Werning returned to New York City this week as the Panel Leader for one of the most substantive sessions at the Practising Law Institute’s Securities Arbitration and Mediation 2026 program. The September 10 event brought together FINRA Dispute Resolution leadership, sitting arbitrators, noted academics, and experienced practitioners from across the country. Courtney led the room. View the full conference program here.
Fellow panelist Craig McCann, a member of the Board of Directors for the NASAA Investor Protection and Education Foundation, posted about the experience on LinkedIn, specifically calling out Courtney for her leadership in moderating the panel. You can read his post here.
What Is PLI and Why Does It Matter?
The Practising Law Institute is a nonprofit learning organization that has spent over 90 years keeping attorneys and legal professionals at the forefront of knowledge and expertise in their fields. Its programs are not passive seminars. They are practitioner-to-practitioner exchanges built around the most complex, evolving, and consequential issues in legal practice.
An invitation to speak at PLI signals standing in a field. An invitation to lead a panel signals something more. That your peers, conference organizers, and the institutions that shape legal practice consider you among the most credentialed and trusted voices in your area of law.
For the securities arbitration community specifically, the annual PLI Securities Arbitration program draws FINRA Dispute Resolution leadership, top academics, and attorneys who represent both investors and the industry. It is where the field takes stock of where securities arbitration has been and where it is heading.
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What Courtney’s Panel Covered at the 2026 Conference
Courtney Werning served as Panel Leader for the session titled “Practicum: Getting Your Hands Around the Hot Securities Investments Arbitrations.” The session tackled one of the most practical and pressing challenges practitioners face when handling complex securities disputes. At the center of that challenge is how to stay current on the investment products that generate arbitration claims and how to try those cases effectively.
The panel covered five core competencies:
- Using experts at the outset of a case to assess damages and evaluate the viability of claims
- Handling witness interviews and preparation
- Selecting the most effective witness to address complicated investment products
- Presenting those products in a clear, understandable way to arbitration panels
- Delivering comprehensive damage calculations that arbitration panels can act on
Courtney was joined by a distinguished group of speakers: Hugh D. Berkson, Brad Daniels, Craig J. McCann, Tracey Salmon-Smith, and Jo Colbert Stanley. The depth of the panel reflected the seriousness of the topic. Investors who bring arbitration claims over complex products deserve advocates who know how to present those products clearly and persuasively, and this session was built around exactly that challenge.
Courtney’s Growing Role at PLI: From Panelist to Panel Leader
This was not Courtney’s first appearance at PLI’s Securities Arbitration program. At the Securities Arbitration 2025 conference, she participated as a panelist on the session “Advances in Technology Impacting FINRA Arbitration.” View the 2025 program here. That session examined how new FINRA technology capabilities are changing the way practitioners try cases, including the strategic use of remote hearings, remote testimony for distant witnesses and senior representatives, the decision to conduct closing arguments remotely with demonstrative exhibits, and the incorporation of artificial intelligence into the hearing process.
In 2025, Courtney contributed her perspective as a panelist alongside moderator James Schroder and fellow speakers Clint A. Corrie and Dr. Veronica Ann Williams. In 2026, she returned with an expanded role, leading the panel herself.
That progression is not accidental. It reflects where Courtney stands in the investor protection field at large.
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Courtney Werning’s Standing in Securities Arbitration Practice
Courtney is a current PIABA (Public Investors Advocate Bar Association) board member and chairs PIABA’s arbitration committee. She has been appointed to FINRA’s National Arbitration and Mediation Committee (NAMC), one of the most selective appointments available in investor dispute resolution. She is on track to become PIABA’s next president in 2027, which would make her just the fourth woman to lead the organization in its history.
At Meyer Wilson Werning, Courtney’s practice spans FINRA arbitration, securities litigation, and an expanding cryptocurrency fraud practice through Crypto.court. The firm has recovered more than $350 million for investors nationwide since 1999, and Courtney’s work is central to that track record.
If you’ve lost money in a FINRA-related dispute, securities case, or suspected cryptocurrency fraud, you may have legal options that could help recover losses.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Practising Law Institute (PLI) Securities Arbitration Conference?
The PLI Securities Arbitration program is an annual continuing legal education conference held in New York City. It brings together FINRA Dispute Resolution leadership, arbitrators, academics, and experienced attorneys who represent both customers and industry parties in securities arbitration. The program covers current developments in FINRA arbitration, expert use, ethics, mediation strategy, and emerging trends in securities disputes.
What Was Courtney Werning’s Role at the PLI Securities Arbitration and Mediation 2026 Conference?
Courtney Werning served as the Panel Leader for the session “Practicum: Getting Your Hands Around the Hot Securities Investments Arbitrations” at the September 10, 2026 program in New York City. In that role, she moderated the panel and led a discussion among securities arbitration practitioners on how to assess, prepare, and present complex investment product claims in the arbitration forum.
How Does Courtney Werning’s PLI Role Reflect Her Credentials in Securities Arbitration?
Courtney’s selection as a Panel Leader at PLI reflects her standing as one of the most credentialed investor protection attorneys in the country. She is a PIABA board member, chair of PIABA’s arbitration committee, a member of FINRA’s National Arbitration and Mediation Committee, and is on track to become PIABA’s next president in 2027. Her role grew from panelist at the 2025 conference to panel leader at the 2026 conference, consistent with her expanding leadership in the field.
What Is FINRA Arbitration and Why Does It Matter for Investors?
FINRA arbitration is the primary forum through which investors resolve disputes with brokers and brokerage firms. Most brokerage account agreements require that disputes be resolved through the FINRA arbitration process rather than in court. For investors who have suffered losses due to broker misconduct, unsuitable investments, or fraud, FINRA arbitration is often the path to recovery. Having an advocate who understands how to present complex products clearly and build a compelling damages case in that forum is critical to the outcome.
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