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Arbitration/Mediation Clinics in California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania

Investors with limited income or with small dollar claims may find it difficult or impossible to hire a lawyer. Law schools in California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania have established securities arbitration/mediation clinics to provide legal representation to investors who cannot hire a lawyer to handle their claims. If you cannot hire a lawyer to represent you, you may wish to contact the clinics listed below to see if they can help you.

All of the clinics are authorized to operate by the courts in their respective states. You will be represented by law students who work under the supervision of faculty members at the school. You will have to determine if you qualify for help from a clinic: some clinics will not handle claims above a set amount or if your household income is too high. Please check directly with each clinic for information.

Investors who live outside California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania can request help from the clinics. A clinic may be willing to provide written advice about your claim and how to draft your complaint. The clinics are limited in the help they can give to out-of-state investors. Some may be unable to assist anyone outside their local area. Generally, representatives from the clinics cannot travel out of their local area to assist investors. If you live outside these states, you will have to check with each clinic to see if it can help you.


Benjamin N. Cardozo
School of Law
Securities Arbitration Clinic
55 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 790-0200, x6646
(212) 790-0256 (fax)


Brooklyn Law School
Securities Arbitration Clinic
One Boerum Place
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 780-7994
clinics@brooklaw.edu

  • Each request will be considered on an individual basis to see if the law school can help.

Cornell University Law School
Securities Law Clinic
Myron Taylor Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-4901
(607) 254-8270


District of Columbia Law Clinics
Howard University School of Law
Investor Justice & Education Clinic
2900 Van Ness Street, NW
Room G15, Notre Dame Hall
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 806-8082

  • Each investor request for assistance will be considered on a case-by-case basis to determine if the Investor Justice & Education Clinic can be of assistance to the investor

Fordham University
School of Law
Securities Arbitration Clinic
150 West 62nd Street
9th Floor
New York, NY 10023
(212) 636-6934

  • Each request will be considered on an individual basis to see if the law school can help.

Georgia State University College of Law, Investor Advocacy Clinic
Investor Advocacy Clinic Urban Life Building
140 Decatur Street, Suite 326
Atlanta, GA 30303
404.413.9270
404.413.9272 (facsimile)
InvestorAdvocacy@gsu.edu
http://law.gsu.edu/investoradvocacy

  • Claim should generally not exceed $100,000;
  • Investor should not have any major assets other than primary residence, car and investments that led to the claim for which representation is sought;
  • Georgia resident (currently or at time of claim); and
  • Investor has not been successful in obtaining legal representation.

The Clinic may represent investors who do not meet all of these criteria from time to time based upon the individual facts of the investor's case.


Hofstra School of Law
Securities Arbitration Clinic
108 Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY  11549-1080
(516) 463-5934

  • Claimant's annual income should not exceed $75,000.
  • The claim should not exceed $100,000.
  • Claimant should have no other assets than a house and car.
  • Claimant must have sought out representation from an attorney in private practice.

Michigan State University College of Law
Investor Advocacy Clinic
Legal Clinics
610 Abbot Rd.
East Lansing, MI 48823
517-336-8088 (ext. 6)
securities.clinic@law.msu.edu

  • Each request will be considered on an individual basis to see if the clinic can help.

New York Law School
c/o Securities Arbitration Clinic
185 W. Broadway
New York, NY 10013
(212) 431-2338
http://www.securitiesclinic.org/

  • Each request will be considered on an individual basis to see if the law school can help.

Northwestern University School of Law
Investor Protection Center
Bluhm Legal Clinic
357 E. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois  60611
(312) 503-0210
Investor-Protection@law.northwestern.edu

  • Client's household annual income generally cannot exceed $100,000.
  • Client's claim generally cannot exceed $100,000.

Pace University School of Law
Investor Rights Clinic
78 North Broadway
Preston 404
White Plains, NY 10603
(914) 422-4333


Seton Hall University School of Law
Investor Advocacy Project
One Newark Center, Room 429
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 642-8084
investoradvocacy@shu.edu

  • Prospective clients must meet the following eligibility criteria:
    New Jersey residency;
    Combined annual household income of no greater than $100,000; and
    Claimed losses no greater than $100,000.

    The Seton Hall Investor Advocacy Project will evaluate each prospective representation on a case-by-case basis.

St. John's University School of Law
Securities Arbitration Clinic
8000 Utopia Parkway
Jamaica, NY 11439
Phone: (718) 990-6930
Fax: 718-990-6931
securities@stjohns.edu


Syracuse University College of Law
Securities Arbitration Clinic
P.O. Box 6543
Syracuse, NY 13217-6543
(315) 443-4628

  • Each request for representation will be considered individually to determine eligibility in terms of household income and amount of claim. Clinic may waive eligibility guidelines if investor cannot obtain legal representation.

University of Miami School of Law
Investor Rights Clinic
3000 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 100
Miami, Florida 33137
(305) 284-8234
InvestorRights@law.miami.edu

  • The Clinic has established general claim eligibility guidelines. Specifically, the prospective client's losses should not exceed $100,000. In addition, the Clinic has established household income and asset eligibility requirements. In some cases, the Clinic may waive one or more of its requirements if the prospective client is unable to obtain legal representation.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law
The Securities Arbitration Clinic
Professor Alice L. Stewart
Sennott Square
Room 5220
210 South Bouquet Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
(412) 648-1300

  • Investors should contact the clinic to see whether they fall within the clinic’s eligibility guidelines.

University of San Francisco School of Law
Investor Justice Clinic
2130 Fulton Street, KN 211
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
(415) 422-5326
investorjusticeclinic@usfca.edu

  • The claim cannot exceed $35,000.
  • Household income cannot exceed $50,000.
  • Claim amount and household income limits may be waived if an investor cannot get a lawyer to take the case.
  • Focus is on resolving cases through mediation, but will also represent claimants through simplified arbitration proceedings.

Learn more about arbitration, how to find a lawyer who specializes in securities, and challenging an arbitration decision.


The Office of Investor Education and Advocacy has provided this information as a service to investors.  It is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of SEC policy.  If you have questions conce

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Modified: Oct. 28, 2014