Arizona Lawyer Interviews

Naples, FL When it comes to securities fraud, many people think a lawsuit is the only way for them to recover lost money. So they are surprised when a lawyer informs them that they must go through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to file their complaint. Kristian Kraszewski, managing partner of the securities department at Kyros Law Offices, says FINRA dispute resolution is a good way for investors to deal with their stock fraud or securities fraud complaints.

Chicago, IL Attorney Howard Prossnitz firmly believes his clients and many of the 12,000 other Morgan Keegan (MK) bond investors that filed a securities fraud class action against the now-defunct investment firm Morgan Keegan are being offered a raw deal.

New York, NY When it comes to securities fraud claims, one of the areas of concern is suitability violations--when a broker-dealer or financial advisor recommends investment products that are unsuitable for the client. Christopher Gray, senior attorney at Law Office of Christopher J. Gray, PC, says he is seeing numerous suitability violation claims related to the sale of non-exchange traded real estate investment trusts. Those claims may result in an arbitration being filed on behalf of the investor.

Phoenix, AZ A class-action suit filed on behalf of truckers alleges that Swift Transportation drivers were underpaid by as much as 10 percent for more than a decade. "What I am told is that there are almost 30,000 drivers employed by Swift at any one time," says attorney Robert Carey from the firm of Hagens Berman. "This class extends back to 1998, and I don't know how many former employees there are, but they would be included in the class as well."

Phoenix, AZ The Arizona real estate market in the mid 90's got hotter than habanero pepper—homebuyers gulped down some of those "too good to be true" mortgage deals only a few years later to find themselves looking at personal and financial disaster. The phone at attorney Kevin Harper's downtown Phoenix law firm rings constantly, "Yes," Harper says, "we've been pretty busy, there's no doubt about that."

Phoenix, AZ: On March 27, the law firm of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro filed a proposed consumer class action against LifeLock of Tempe, AZ. LifeLock uses aggressive advertising to convince consumers to subscribe to its $10-a-month "proactive identity theft protection" service, claiming to "offer a proven solution that prevents your identity from being stolen before it happens" and purporting to guarantee customers against up to $1 million in losses.

Phoenix, AZ: In the wake of soaring credit card debts and subprime loans, a bankruptcy wave is likely to hit the US anytime soon. Nationwide, attorneys are getting more calls from people who are having financial problems; more calls from small businesses; more calls from individuals who have credit card debt and more calls from home owners.