FINRA Arbitration Attorney in Miami

If a brokerage firm or financial adviser cost you money, the claim will almost certainly be decided in FINRA arbitration rather than in court. This page explains what a claim takes, how long it runs, and what to gather before you call IBL’s Miami office.

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FINRA arbitration is the binding forum where investors bring claims against brokerage firms and the advisors who recommended their investments. Claims arising in Florida are governed by Eleventh Circuit law on arbitration and award review, alongside FINRA’s Code of Arbitration Procedure.

Industria Business Lawyers PLLC represents investors from its Miami office at 701 Brickell Avenue, in the financial district where many of these products are sold. South Florida concentrates private placement sponsors, real estate syndications, retirement-stage investors, and cross-border clients, and those are the fact patterns we see most often here.

Under FINRA’s Code of Arbitration Procedure, the brokerage firm has 45 days from service to file its Answer, and the panel typically issues its written award within 30 days after the hearing record closes. From filing to award, a customer case typically takes 12 to 18 months, depending on complexity and scheduling.

Learn more: what FINRA arbitration is, the FINRA arbitration process, step by step, and investment loss recovery. If your advisor caused the loss, read Can I sue my financial advisor for losing my money?.

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Investor Claims We Handle in South Florida

These claims share a pattern: a complex or illiquid product, sold as safe income, to an investor it did not fit. Related: FINRA Arbitration Attorneys.

South Florida is a hub for real estate syndications and private offerings sold to local investors. These are unregistered, illiquid, and dependent on a single sponsor’s performance, which concentrates risk in a way that is often understated at sale.

Florida investors hold a heavy share of real estate income products. When distributions are suspended or redemptions gated, the liquidity that was described at the point of sale frequently is not there.

Florida’s retirement-stage population is sold income products at scale. Suitability turns on the investor’s actual income needs, time horizon, and capacity to absorb loss, not on the headline yield.

Miami serves substantial international investor flows. Non-resident investors can bring claims against U.S. member firms, and documentation and language issues often matter to how the claim is proved. IBL works with clients in English and Spanish.

Surrender charges, contract switching, and layered fees drive many Florida claims. Replacing one contract with another can raise both suitability and excessive-activity questions.

The branch office and its supervisor form part of the claim when misconduct went unchecked. Supervision claims reach the firm, which matters when the individual representative has left the industry.

When IBL Is Engaged on a Florida Claim

Timing and forum both matter in Florida claims. Engagement commonly begins here.

Before the eligibility window closes. FINRA’s Code of Arbitration Procedure sets an eligibility limit measured from the events at issue, and Florida limitation periods may apply to the underlying causes of action.

When the claim may include a Florida statutory count. Florida’s securities statute provides remedies that can accompany a FINRA claim, which affects how the claim is pleaded.

When records are not forthcoming. Sponsors and selling firms slow down once a product is failing. We request the records the investor is entitled to receive.

When an award needs confirming in Florida. Eleventh Circuit review is narrow. In Frazier v. CitiFinancial Corp., LLC, 604 F.3d 1313 (11th Cir. 2010), the court held that after Hall Street the judicially created grounds for vacatur are no longer valid in this circuit, leaving only the statutory bases.

What a FINRA claim costs to file

FINRA charges a filing fee that depends on the amount claimed. Under FINRA Rule 12900 the customer filing fee is set by a schedule that scales with the amount claimed, and FINRA may defer the fee where paying it would be a hardship. Hearing session fees are assessed separately and the panel decides in the award who bears them. Those are FINRA’s charges. How an engagement with IBL is structured depends on the case. Contact the firm to discuss your situation.

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How We Work a South Florida Claim

Case Assessment +

Account statements, the product, and the paper trail reviewed before we advise whether a South Florida claim is worth bringing

Offering Document Analysis +

Syndication and private offering documents read against what the investor was told, including sponsor projections and risk disclosures

Statement of Claim +

The Statement of Claim drafted to frame the facts, the causes of action, and the damages theory for the panel

Panel Selection +

The arbitrator list evaluated and strikes exercised with attention to background, prior awards, and the profile of the case

Discovery +

The firm’s supervisory records, branch communications, and product due-diligence files pursued under the FINRA Discovery Guide

Local Hearing Representation +

Representation at the hearing location serving South Florida investors, with documentary evidence and expert testimony where needed

Award and Enforcement +

Confirmation, collection, and the limited post-award options addressed once the panel issues its written award

FAQ

FINRA maintains hearing locations across the country and generally schedules a case in the location closest to where the investor lived when the events occurred. For South Florida investors that ordinarily means a Miami-area hearing location. Current locations are listed by FINRA.

Often in part. FINRA rules govern the procedure, while the underlying claims may draw on federal securities law and on Florida’s securities statute. Which combination applies depends on the facts of the sale and where it occurred.

Generally yes, where the dispute arises from the business activities of a FINRA member firm. Non-resident investors regularly bring claims against U.S. brokerage firms. IBL works with clients in English and Spanish.

FINRA’s eligibility rule limits how far back a claim may reach, and separate Florida limitation periods may apply to the underlying causes of action. A claim should be reviewed as soon as the loss becomes apparent rather than after a product formally winds down.

Yes. FINRA arbitration is a national forum. IBL represents investors nationwide and maintains offices in Miami, Washington, D.C., and New York. See FINRA Arbitration Attorneys.

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701 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1550, Miami, FL 33131. Call (202) 860-1210 or send the details of your investment below.

This page provides general legal information about FINRA arbitration and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Rules, procedures, and case law change. Information is current as of August 2026. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.