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Samuel B. Edwards
  • Arbitration & Mediation, Stockbroker & Investment Fraud, Securities Law
  • California, Michigan, Texas
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Biography

Sam Edwards is a partner at SSEK and has developed a wide-ranging practice representing individuals and institutions from the United States and almost every continent in the world in investment and financial disputes. Over the last decade, that representation has included hundreds of clients who range from retirees that have lost their life savings, to community banks and credit unions who have been defrauded by Wall Street in investment schemes or bad products, to states and municipalities defrauded by investment banks.

The cases Mr. Edwards has worked on include claims for unsuitable investment recommendations, churning, misrepresentations and outright fraud. The investments involved have varied from simple stocks and bonds to more complicated annuities, options and futures to even extremely complex derivatives such as structured products, CMOs, IOs, Inverse IOs, CDOs, CLOs, synthetic CDOs, Credit Default Swaps and hedge funds. Mr. Edwards has represented clients before FINRA (previously NASD and the NYSE), AAA and JAMS arbitration panels, as well as state and federal courts all around the country.

Mr. Edwards is an active member of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (“PIABA”), working with attorneys across the nation to protect investor rights. He is currently a member of the PIABA Board of Directors and was the previous editor and chief of the PIABA Bar Journal where he is also a regular contributing author. Along with the PIABA Bar Journal, Mr. Edwards’ articles have been published in the Practicing Law Institute’s handbooks for securities and a number of other resources. Mr. Edwards is also a frequent lecturer on all issues related investment disputes and securities law, helping to train attorneys nationwide to represent wronged investors.

Practice Areas
    Arbitration & Mediation
    Business - Arbitration/Mediation, Consumer - Arbitration/Mediation, Family - Arbitration/Mediation
    Stockbroker & Investment Fraud
    Securities Law
Additional Practice Area
  • Broker Misconduct
Fees
  • Free Consultation
  • Contingent Fees
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
California
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Michigan
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Texas
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Languages
  • English: Spoken, Written
Professional Experience
Partner
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
Current
USA Securities Fraud site
Education
Georgetown University Law Center
LL.M. (2015) | Masters in Securities Law and Financial Regulation
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Honors: With distinction, Thomas B. Chetwood S.J. Prize
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University of Houston - Main Campus
J.D
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Honors: Cum Laude
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University of Texas - Austin
B.A. (1998)
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Awards
Super Lawyer
Super Lawyers
2018-2019
Rising Star
Super Lawyers
2008-2011, 2013-2104
Professional Associations
Michigan State Bar  # P72583
Member
- Current
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California State Bar  # 237500
Member
- Current
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Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association
Executive Vice President/Past President
- Current
Activities: Board of Directors Former Editor-in-Chief of the PIABA Bar Journal
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State Bar of Texas
Member
- Current
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Speaking Engagements
Handling Motions to Vacate, Eligibily Motions and Statutes of Limitations in FINRA Arbitration Cases and Related Court Proceedings, PIABA Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas
PIABA
Websites & Blogs
Website
Samuel B. Edwards' Website Profile
Website
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP Website
Blog
Investor Lawyers Blog
Legal Answers
7 Questions Answered
Q. Why are financial advisors still able to steal an elderly persons money and victims are not encouraged to press charges
A: Financial advisors are certainly not allowed to steal or wrongfully lose their client's money. There is currently a big emphasis on trying to protect elderly investors, who are often the target of scam artists. There are potentially a number of criminal violations that could apply to your mother's situation, but none of those are likely to help recover your mother's money. At best, that puts the wrongdoer in jail, but criminal authorities almost never do anything to recover wrongful losses. If the goal is to help your mother recover money and help provide for her retirement (and possibly your inheritance), I would recommend your mother seek a civil remedy. That is, she needs to sue the advisor and his or her firm (there could also be some other third parties that have potential liability) for damages. If the advisor truly stole the money, rather than just making bad investments, the advisor rarely has money and assets you can use to collect and insurance almost surely will not help either, so knowing who you can try to recover from is vitally important. There are also often limitations on the forum where an investor can sue their financial advisor, which makes a big difference as suing someone in court versus suing in a specialized forum for investor complaints is entirely different. My firm focusses exclusively on representing investors against financial advisors, brokerage firms and other financial institutions. We would be happy to review your mother's situation and let you know the best options. I am licensed to practice law in California, but my firm and I represent investors all across the nation. Please reach out to me for a free consultation if you want to talk about options for your mothers. Sam
Q. My dominant hand and about a quarter of my forearm was cut off at work. How much of a settlement should I expect ?
A: I am very sorry to hear about your terrible injury. The answer as to the value of a personal injury case like this is very fact dependent and absolutely not something you should try and negotiate on your own. I would not submit to an arbitration or a mediation without an attorney as you will be at an extreme disadvantage. Your situation is serious enough that you absolutely should have a qualified attorney willing to help you with no upfront cost and a reasonable contingency. If you would like to discuss, please reach out to me and I will do my best to guide you in the right direction.
Q. Is it illegal for me to give a friend my login credentials for my brokerage account and have him trade for me?
A: It is not "illegal" to share your login credentials, but it is likely a violation of your brokerage account agreement. Most brokerage account agreements contain language that says you agree you will not share your login information with a third party. So, it could be a breach of your contract with the brokerage firm.
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Contact & Map
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
San Francisco
1 Embarcadero Ctr #500
San Francisco, CA 94111
Telephone: (415) 287-0877
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
Main Office
1010 Lamar St
#900
Houston, TX 77002
Toll-Free: (800) 259-9010
Telephone: (713) 227-2400
Fax: (713) 583-1217
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
New Orleans Office
Lakeway Two
3850 N Causeway Blvd
#200-B
Metairie, LA 70002
Telephone: (504) 324-0252
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
Lexington Office
216 E Reynolds Rd
#C
Lexington, KY 40517
Telephone: (859) 810-0266
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
Dallas Office
Founders Square
900 Jackson St
#440-A
Dallas, TX 75202
Telephone: (214) 613-5306
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
Buffalo Office
Sheridan Meadows Corporate Park South
6225 Sheridan Dr
#308-B
Buffalo, NY 14221
Telephone: (716) 261-3529
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
Chicago Office
141 W Jackson Blvd
#3550A
Chicago, IL 60604
Telephone: (312) 462-4176
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
San Diego Office
1545 Hotel Cir S
#150-1
San Diego, CA 92108
Telephone: (619) 550-4847
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
Gulfport Office
2118 18th St
#100
Gulfport, MS 39501
Telephone: (228) 206-2493
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
Portland Office
621 SW Morrison St
#1050-B
Portland, OR 97205
Telephone: (971) 285-3075
Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP
Western Colorado Office
241 S Elizabeth St
#500
Ridgway, CO 81432
Telephone: (970) 239-7085