what is a reasonal finra arbitration attorney fee

by Dr. Herbert Kuhn 8 min read

FINRA Rule 12900. Currently, filing fees range from $50.00 to $1,800.00 (FINRA Rule 12900. Part of this fee is refundable if the claim settles more than ten (10) days prior to a hearing.

Full Answer

Are you eligible to file for FINRA arbitration?

A summary of fees and terms associated with the arbitration process. The Arbitration Fee Calculator can help parties estimate the filing fees and hearing session fees associated with their claim. It is for informational purposes only. All fees calculated are based on input from the user. Investors and associated persons may submit a written ...

How to improve FINRA arbitration?

The fee is the amount of the filing fee less the $200 assessed to the claimant. Since the claimant's fee is capped at $200, the member shall pay the fees in excess of this amount. For more detail, go to Industry Code Rule 13802. Arbitrators may not assess any of the surcharge and processing fees or the statutory discrimination filing fee paid ...

How do I file a FINRA arbitration?

At the Sonn Law Group, we have extensive experience representing clients through FINRA arbitration proceedings. For help with your claim, please call our main office in Aventura, Florida today at 844-689-5754 or reach out to us directly online. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *.

What to expect from FINRA Dispute Resolution?

 · As summarized by Michael J. Fish from the State Bar Mandatory Fee Arbitration, Arbitration Advisory 98-03, Determination of a “Reasonable” Fee, dated June 23, 1998. As attorneys we are often called upon to look at the reasonableness of our own fees charged for the legal services we rendered—if not by our clients, then by our own sense of fairness. When a …

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What does FINRA pay arbitrators?

Yes, arbitrators are compensated at the rate of $300 per hearing session, with an additional $125 per day if acting as Chairperson at the hearings on the merits. For cases filed on or after April 19, 2021, Chairpersons will receive an additional $250 for each hearing day. Q.

Is FINRA arbitration fair?

Coronavirus Impact on Arbitration & Mediation Hearings FINRA operates the largest securities dispute resolution forum in the United States, and has extensive experience in providing a fair, efficient and effective venue to handle a securities-related dispute.

Does FINRA handle arbitration disputes?

Investors can file an arbitration claim or request mediation through FINRA when they have a dispute involving the business activities of a brokerage firm or one of its brokers. Generally, for consideration in the FINRA arbitration forum, your claim must be about an incident that took place within the last six years.

How long does a FINRA arbitration take?

16 monthsAlso, there is no internal appeals process at FINRA. Arbitration cases that settle are typically resolved in a little over a year. When an arbitration case goes to hearing, it typically takes 16 months. In either case, arbitration is usually faster than most court cases.

Is FINRA arbitration mandatory?

An investor must arbitrate at FINRA if: The arbitration is required by written agreement; The dispute is with a member of FINRA, which could be a broker and/or brokerage firm; and. The dispute involves the securities business of the broker and/or brokerage firm.

What is the 2010 rule?

Rule 2010 requires that all members, in the conduct of business, observe the "highest standards of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade." This rule is viewed as somewhat of a "catch-all" rule and it can punish unethical behavior as well as violations of federal securities laws by imposing ...

How much do arbitrators earn?

How much do Arbitration employees make? Employees who knows Arbitration earn an average of ₹23lakhs, mostly ranging from ₹10lakhs per year to ₹50lakhs per year based on 359 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than ₹40lakhs per year.

How are FINRA arbitrators selected?

FINRA arbitrators are independent and are chosen by the parties to issue final, binding awards. FINRA administers an arbitration forum pursuant to rules approved by the SEC. In its capacity as a neutral administrator of its forum, FINRA does not have any input into the outcome of arbitrations.

How many FINRA arbitrators are there?

FINRA arbitrators are a group of dedicated individuals serving the investing public and the securities industry. They are neutral, well-qualified and essential to maintaining a fair, impartial and efficient system of dispute resolution. FINRA maintains a roster of more than 7,900 arbitrators.

What is an arbitration hearing like?

The arbitration hearing Arbitrations usually involve one or more hearings before the tribunal, where the parties' lawyers put forward arguments and question the other party's witnesses and experts. Hearings can last from half a day to many weeks or even months depending on the issues at stake.

What are the stages of arbitration?

To give you an idea of the process that arbitration typically involves, the American Arbitration Association describes artibtration as having five main steps:Filing and initiation. ... Arbitrator selection. ... Preliminary hearing. ... Information exchange and preparation. ... Hearings. ... Post hearing submissions. ... Award.

How much is the FINRA filing fee?

12900. Fees Due When a Claim Is FiledAmount of Claim (exclusive of interest and expenses)Filing Fee$.01 to $1,000$225$1,000.01 to $2,500$350$2,500.01 to $5,000$525$5,000.01 to $10,000$7508 more rows

Is an arbitrator's decision final?

The arbitrator's final decision on the case is called the “award.” This is like a judge's or jury's decision in a court case. Once the arbitrator decides that all of the parties' evidence and arguments have been presented, the arbitrator will close the hearings.

Can you appeal a FINRA arbitration award?

Challenges to an Arbitration Award FINRA does not have an appeals process through which a party may challenge an award. This means that FINRA does not hear appeals on arbitration awards. However, under federal and state laws, there are limited grounds on which a court may hear a party's appeal on an award.

Can a FINRA decision be appealed?

Technically, FINRA does not have an appeals process, but you can still challenge the arbitrator's decision, in certain circumstances. State and federal law create numerous situations where arbitration decisions might be overturned.

How long does it take an arbitrator to make a decision?

Despite the relative informality of arbitration, parties should prepare their cases fully, just as they would for trial. An arbitrator should issue a decision within 20 days after the hearing is finished.

What is initial filing fee?

Initial Filing Fee – The fee a claimant pays to file a claim. Part of the fee is non-refundable and part is potentially refundable.#N#For more detail, go to Customer Code Rule 12900; Industry Code Rule 13900.

What is a member surcharge?

Member Surcharge – A surcharge based on the amount of the initial claim that will be assessed against each member that: (1) files a claim, counterclaim, cross claim, or third party claim under the Codes of Arbitration Procedure ; (2) is named as a respondent in a claim, counterclaim, cross claim, or third party claim filed and served under the Codes; or 3) employed, at the time the dispute arose, an associated person who is named as a respondent in a claim, counterclaim, cross claim, or third party claim filed and served under the Codes.#N#For more detail, go to Customer Code Rule 12901 and Industry Code Rule 13901.

FINRA Arbitration: Costs to Consider

Contrary to popular belief, the legal fees related to pursuing a claim through FINRA arbitration are not entirely onerous. You will have to pay FINRA a filing fee, which is calculated in relation to the size of your claim. Additionally, you may need to pay some fees for other incidental costs as the process moves forward.

Request Your Free Case Evaluation Today

If you lost money due to the misconduct of your registered investment advisor or brokerage firm, our team can help. At the Sonn Law Group, we have extensive experience representing clients through FINRA arbitration proceedings.

Bill Singer's Comment

Whoa! A venerable outside law firm for the powerhouse Merrill Lynch finds itself facing off against a defaulting pro se Respondent in an intra-industry FINRA Arbitration but fails to get more than 50% of the claimed legal fees because the documentation presented to the sole arbitrator “failed to identify attorneys or describe with particularity what services were rendered or what disbursements were made.” Talk about a back-handed slap!.

Variation on the Theme

In a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) Arbitration Statement of Claim filed in October 2008, Claimants asserted causes of action including breach of contract, conversion, and tortious interference with business expectancy.

How long does it take for a FINRA arbitration to be final?

FINRA arbitration rules and procedures require arbitrators to render their verdict in the form of a written arbitration decision (the “Award”), generally within thirty (30) days of the closing of the record.#N#The Award is several pages with a brief description of the parties, the claims and defenses, relief requested, other issues decided during the course of the arbitration proceeding, and the final decision about who won and how much either party won on their claim or counterclaim, if anything.#N#Arbitrators have the power to award compensatory damages under a multitude of theories or different measures of damages, pre-judgement and post-judgement interest, attorney fees, arbitration fees and expenses, and punitive and any other damages requested and permitted under the law or in equity.#N#The arbitrators are not required to give any explanation of why they ruled the way they did on anything unless the parties both agreed they wanted an explanation and paid the requisite fees.

Is mediation mandatory in FINRA arbitration?

Mediation is generally (not always) part of the FINRA arbitration process; it is not mandatory and not binding unless the parties agree in writing.#N#Mediation is a formal settlement conference with a neutral mediator, a professional who attempts to get the parties to compromise and decide how they want to settle their dispute before it goes to a final arbitration hearing and the arbitrators make their final and binding decision.#N#At The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., we generally do not recommend our clients participate in any mediation until we have reviewed all of the documents and information exchanged in the discovery process, researched the law, analyzed all of the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence in your case, hired our expert witnesses and received their opinions and damage analyses, and formed our own opinion on the reasonable settlement value of your case.#N#Having settled hundreds of cases in mediation over his 40 year career, Attorney Pearce personally knows most of the mediators that the brokerage firms will agree to hire to help resolve the dispute before the final hearing.#N#This is usually a one day process but may extend over many weeks and months of negotiations before any agreement is made typically in complex cases with multiple parties and involving large amounts of damages.

What is the first round of discovery?

The first round of discovery is mandated by FINRA rules and includes a list of documents that investor s must supply to Respondent (s) and another list of documents the Respondent (s) must supply to Claimant (s) (the “Discovery Guide ”).#N#Those documents are “presumptively discoverable” and supposed to be exchanged by the parties forty-five (45) days after the Answer was initially due to be filed.#N#At The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. we request that you gather those documents when you retain us so we can review and consider the information in them before we prepare and file your Statement of Claim; it is important for us to know the good and bad information before your documents are exchanged.#N#In addition to requesting and/or producing the Discovery Guide documents, the parties will almost always ask each other to produce other documents they deem to be relevant to the claims and/or defenses.#N#These additional requests, and what can happen if there are disagreements, are governed by FINRA rules and procedures, including, motions to compel and motions for sanctions.#N#Oftentimes, the crafting of discovery requests and review of production is delegated to junior partners and associates at our law firm.#N#Once again, Attorney Pearce, together with his staff, crafts the additional discovery requests to obtain all of the relevant documents and information to prove your claims and avoid probable defenses.#N#He reviews all of the documents exchanged in the discovery process, knowing how important it is for a lead trial attorney to have a handle on all of the facts and evidence.

How long does a final arbitration hearing last?

If you are unable to settle your case through mediation or direct negotiations then the next step is to have the dispute resolved by the arbitrators at the final arbitration hearing, which could last days or weeks depending upon the complexity of the issues, number of parties and lawyers, number of witnesses, volume of documented evidence, and the amount in controversy.#N#We will be able to reasonably estimate very early on in the case how long the final hearing will last and the associated expenses we may need to advance on your behalf.#N#The hearings are generally held in one of FINRA’s Regional Offices or Regus office or hotel that FINRA regularly conducts hearings in in the state where you reside.#N#You are expected to attend the full hearing unless you are excused from attending due to some medical reason or other disability; and if you do not attend for some other less compelling reason, you should not expect the arbitrators to take your claim seriously and act as favorably as they might if you were there every day.

Who is Robert Wayne Pearce?

Robert Wayne Pearce has been a trial attorney for more than 40 years and is the founding partner of The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce. You can learn more about Robert and his accomplishments by clicking here.

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