1. Statutes of Limitations. Don't delay. A statute of limitations is the time period in which you must bring a claim, or the claim is forever barred. The statute of limitations depends on the state in which you live as well as your particular circumstances. In short, get help right away to make sure that your claim is not barred.
2. Forum. Most modern account opening agreements with brokerage houses require that customer disputes be arbitrated in arbitration proceedings administered by the NASD or a stock exchange. You still have the right to an attorney. Arbitration awards are enforceable.
3. The Chances of Success. AS most disputes are heard in arbitration instead of court proceedings, there are no statistics on success in these types of cases. In arbitration, recent statistics show that most of the customer cases are settled before hearing with smaller cases settled more frequently. If you don't settle, statistics show that about 60% of the cases end up with some type of recovery to the customer. Even though there can never be a guarantee that you will recover anything, statistically, cases in which the customer retains legal counsel produce better results.
