Jeff Goldman

Jeff’s recent successes include the invalidation of the “fiduciary rule” promulgated by the Massachusetts Securities Division, a case in which Jeff realized that the Division’s rule had a latent vulnerability under Massachusetts common law. In a recent pro bono case, Jeff upended a decade of erroneous decisions by Massachusetts family court judges by demonstrating to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) that the lower court’s practices were rooted in a misconstruction of legislative intent. In the same case, and at Jeff’s urging, the SJC also made a landmark holding about an evidentiary privilege, giving teeth to a previously underutilized statutory limitation that Jeff had highlighted in his briefing.

Jeff devotes a substantial part of his practice to the representation of broker-dealers and investment advisors in high-value Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitrations, where alleged damages can run to eight or nine figures. Jeff has nearly 20 years of experience in significant retail securities cases, and he has developed a keen understanding of the forum, the recurring issues, and the tactical choices necessary to achieve efficient resolutions. When necessary, he can defend arbitration victories in court.

In multiple instances, Jeff helped full-service brokerage firms resolve sets of “product” cases, where a firm faces several claims stemming from the same security or strategy. Those cases require counsel to develop a deep understanding of the situation, help the business develop a comprehensive strategy that manages both litigation and regulatory risks, and resolve individual cases and regulatory inquiries consistently.

Jeff also has technical experience with damages models based on hypothetical investment returns, which tend to underpin FINRA cases. He works continuously and creatively with economists and other experts to help arbitrators recognize the limitations of those models. Both in arbitration hearings and in mediation, Jeff has repeatedly deflated claims against brokerage firms and investment advisers by revealing flaws in his adversaries’ calculations of potential damages.

National clients often call on Jeff to handle cases in state and federal courts in Maine, where he lives and has been admitted since 2005. Jeff’s work in Maine has often allowed clients to prevail against poorly conceived claims on the pleadings, and at minimal cost.