Recently, School of Law Investor Rights Clinic fellows Saagar Patel, Lindsey LaCamera, Alex Llanos, and Sophia Burke traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet in person with regulators at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to discuss policymaking and investor protection.
The third-year law students were joined by the St. John's University School of Law Securities Arbitration Clinic students. They had the opportunity to discuss current regulatory and legal issues important to the investing public.
FINRA is a non-profit organization that regulates broker-dealers and brokerage firms in the United States. FINRA's mission is to protect investors and ensure the integrity of the securities markets. The CFP Board is a nonprofit organization that sets, upholds and enforces standards for Certified Financial Planners.
"It was a terrific opportunity for our students to engage with the securities regulators on issues of significance to the investing public and, in particular, to senior investors," said the clinic's associate director, Melanie Cherdack, who accompanied the students.
The Investor Rights Clinic, one of nine offered at the School of Law, is staffed by second and third-year law students who represent under-served investors in securities arbitration claims against their brokers before FINRA. The clinic provides a pro bono resource to individuals of modest means who have suffered investment losses as a result of broker misconduct but, due to the size of their claim, cannot find legal representation. The clinic also engages in regulatory and legislative advocacy on behalf of the investing public.
"Our visits to the CFP Board and FINRA offered us an opportunity to connect directly with industry experts we collaborate with through the clinic, giving us a closer look at the regulatory bodies in the private securities industry," said Burke. "As a clinical fellow, I am so grateful for opportunities like these to expand my knowledge and add to my experiential learning experiences."
Read more about Miami Law’s clinics.
