May 10, 2012
Jacksonville, Florida. Robert Harris and Neil Baritz led a presentation to a roundtable of securities industry professionals on Judgment Creditor issues, including an intensive discussion and analysis of best practices by third parties in the area of compliance with garnishments and IRS levies.posted by Baritz & Colman LLP at 5:14 PM
April 30, 2012
“Partner David Richan and Associate Meredith Heller in our New York office recently obtained a favorable decision for client Designs for Finance, Inc. before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Designs for Finance was one of several defendants named in an action challenging the validity of a welfare benefit plan that was alleged in fact to have been an impermissible tax shelter. Ruling on Designs for Finance’s motion to dismiss the Complaint under Federal Rule 12(b)(6), the Court held that “Plaintiffs’ claims against Designs are fatal[ly flawed] because Plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate that Designs owed Plaintiffs a duty to provide them with tax advice.” The Court dismissed all claims against Designs for Finance with prejudice in their entirety. A copy of the Opinion, Rapaport, et al. v. Robin S. Weingast & Associates, Inc., et al., No. 11-CV-2254 (Dennis M. Cavanaugh, USDJ) (D.N.J., April 30, 2012), which is designated “for publication,” is available by clicking here.”posted by Baritz & Colman LLP at 11:18 AM
April 2012
FINRA has at long last taken a small but positive step in improving the fairness of the registered representative expungement process. Under proposed FINRA rules, a registered rep who is a “subject” of customer arbitrations, but not named as a respondent, would have an easier time having the disclosure on his or her CRD expunged. Click here to read the latest Baritz & Colman Securities Arbitration Bulletin on the subject.
January 2012
Neil S. Baritz and Roger L. Shaffer recently presented at an industry sponsored roundtable on the topic of “What to Expect from a Regulatory Audit.” The presentation included a discussion of the transition from a traditional brokerage to a fee based advisory platform, industry trends and the importance of preparation for what securities and investment advisory regulators have indicated will be significantly increased regularity of site examinations and corresponding scrutiny.
