The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. is a nationwide law firm that represents defrauded investors, stockbrokers, and financial advisors in securities fraud cases, FINRA arbitrations, and regulatory enforcement matters involving the SEC, CFTC, and FINRA.
Founded by Robert Wayne Pearce who has over 45 years of experience in investment fraud law, the practice focuses primarily on helping investors recover losses from investment fraud while also defending financial professionals in regulatory actions and employment disputes within the securities industry.
The firm's attorneys handle complex investment disputes including private placement and Regulation D fraud, structured products litigation, and broker-dealer misconduct cases.
The investment and securities fraud lawyers at the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce P.A., represents clients on all sides of securities, commodities and investment fraud and other issues in a broad range of practice areas in courtroom litigation, arbitration, SEC defense, and mediation proceedings.
Attorney Robert Wayne Pearce and his team have handled hundreds of FINRA, AAA and JAMs securities arbitration and mediation cases for satisfied clients located in many U.S. states and throughout the world.
Our investment and securities fraud lawyers have represented investors throughout the United States and internationally. We have recovered over $175 million for our investor clients in all types of stockbroker fraud and broker and advisor misconduct cases.
At The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., we believe the ultimate barometer of our success is surpassing the expectation of our clients.
The following clients have direct knowledge of our law firm's processes from the inside and experienced our securities fraud attorneys' fierce advocacy.
Regulation D is just one of the exemptions that fraudsters commonly rely upon in an attempt to avoid disclosure of important facts relating to a company that might have influenced your investment decision.
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The Structured Products Lawyers at The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., specialize in representing investors who have suffered losses due to structured products and complex derivatives. With over 45 years of experience, our team of highly skilled attorneys understands the intricacies of these sophisticated financial instruments and the legal challenges they present, and we can help you recover losses from these structured notes.
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As an investor, you must be fully aware of the associated risks and whether structured notes fit within your investment parameters. Robert Pearce, Attorney at the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. will explain these risks to you. He is a highly experienced investment fraud lawyer who has successfully handled many structured note cases and other complex securities and investment law matters.
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Investment Fraud Lawyer | Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A | Securities Law Firm
With a Successful Track Record for Recovery of Investment Losses
Attorney Robert Wayne Pearce is a well-respected advocate for investors throughout the legal community, known as a fierce litigator and tireless not only in Florida but across the nation and near you.
Read his Investors’ Rights Blog and discover the breadth of his knowledge that can only be gained from over 45 years of legal experience for yourself. As one of the most experienced in FINRA arbitration, Mr. Pearce knows all of the available options for your case and will pursue them vigorously to secure the best possible outcome for you and your stockbroker fraud and stockbroker misconduct case.
He has earned a peer rating of AV Preeminent * through the Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating process, the highest available rating through that program.
Mr. Pearce is one of Thomson Reuters Florida Super Lawyers ** for Securities Litigation (Top 5). Read the feature article about him in the Florida 2014 Super Lawyers magazine entitled: “No Excuses – How Robert Wayne Pearce Stared Down Personal Disaster”.
During his more than 45 years of experience practicing securities and commodities law, he has won numerous million-dollar awards and settlements for his clients which has earned him recognition for his success by The Million Dollar Advocates Forum and The Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum as one of the Top Trial Lawyers in America TM***.
By hiring The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., you get access to his over 45 years of experience practicing in the area of securities, commodities and investment fraud on both sides of the table in arbitrations and courtroom litigation, and you will clearly see his legal experience and knowledge in action. Having a fierce litigator and tireless advocate of your rights, and one who will quickly identify both the strengths and the weaknesses of your case will surely increase the likelihood of winning your case.
As promised, today we are announcing the 2025 winner of the Robert Wayne Pearce Investment Fraud Awareness Scholarship. Over the course of the year, we received applications from over 625 students from schools around the country who all wrote quality essays about The Pros and Cons of Investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts. The winner of the $2,500 scholarship is Carliana Del Guercio, a student at Florida Atlantic University, College of Business, who wrote the following essay: The Pros & Cons of Investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) are companies that own or operate real estate properties intended to generate income for investors. There are two main categories of REITs: Mortgage REITs investing in mortgage and mortgage-backed securities that in turn invest in commercial and residential projects; and Equity REITs that typically own and manage a diversified portfolio or a specific type of property, including apartments, healthcare facilities, hotels, offices, self-storage buildings, and retail shopping centers. The structure of REITs is as important, if not more than what REITs own and manage for investors who want information about the investment and the ability to sell when they need liquidity. There are three structures: Public REITs registered with the SEC whose shares on national stock exchanges like stocks that report public information and provide liquidity; Public Non-Listed REITs which are also registered with the SEC and reporting public information but not traded on any exchange and therefore with limited liquidity; and Private REITs providing the least information and liquidity to investors. The assets owned by the REITs and the structure of the REITs the investor chooses to invest carry different Pros (benefits) and Cons (risks). But generally, the Pros of investing in REITs are dividend income, portfolio diversification, liquidity (Public REITs only), accessibility to commercial real estate, and professional management. The Cons of investing in all REITs include REITs interest rate sensitivity, tax disadvantages, limited capital appreciation, and lack of control. The primary reason for investing in REITs is they generally provide high, steady dividend income because they are legally required to distribute at least 90% of their taxable income to shareholders annually in the form of dividends. They offer portfolio diversification because real estate has a historically low correlation with other asset classes like traditional stocks and bonds. Unlike direct real estate investments, which can be difficult and time-consuming to sell, publicly traded REITs are bought and sold on major stock exchanges, like stocks. REITs also allow everyday investors to access large-scale, income-producing commercial properties that would otherwise require substantial capital to invest in directly. Finally, REITs are managed by experienced management teams who handle all the complexities of property acquisition, leasing, rent collection, and maintenance. The cons on the other hand are, all REITs are particularly vulnerable to interest rate fluctuations; when interest rates rise, the cost of borrowing for REITs increases, which can reduce their profitability and lead to lower dividend payouts. Another drawback for many investors is the tax treatment of REIT dividends; most of these dividends do not qualify for the lower tax rates applied to qualified stock dividends. The requirement to pay out a large majority of their income as dividends means REITs retain less capital for reinvestment and expansion (e.g., buying new properties or enhancing existing ones); this structure can result in slower capital appreciation or no growth whatsoever. When you invest in REITs, you have little to no control over the specific properties purchased, their management, or the overall investment decisions; you are relying entirely on the management team’s expertise. Finally, some REITs, particularly non-traded or private ones, can have high associated fees, including management fees and acquisition fees, which can eat into your returns. In my opinion, weighing the Pros and Cons, only Public REITs should be considered for a small portion of one’s investment portfolio. We thank all the other applicants for their efforts and announce that the next scholarship, to be awarded on December 15, 2026, will be given to the student who writes the most thoughtful essay about “The Different Types of Cryptocurrency Scams Causing Investors to Lose Fortunes.” Please personally write (do not ask ChatGPT to write) about one or more horrible cryptocurrency scams causing investors to lose fortunes.
Learn MoreThis is your definitive guide to FINRA arbitration in 2025/2026. In this article you will learn: how disputes are handles under FINRA arbitration, the FINRA arbitration process, and what to expect if you are involved in a FINRA arbitration case. We will also cover the most important information that you will need to know about FINRA arbitration in 2025/2026 so that you can be prepared if you find yourself involved in a case.
Learn MoreFinally, ten years after the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank) was enacted to bring about sweeping changes to the securities industry, the best regulation the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”) could pass, SEC Regulation Best Interest, is now the law governing broker-dealers giving investment advice to retail customers. Although the SEC had the authority to impose a uniform and expansive “Fiduciary Duty” standard throughout the country upon broker-dealers and investment advisors, it yielded to the stock brokerage industry demands and enacted Regulation Best Interest (“Reg. BI”), which is better than the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) “Suitability Rule,” but not the best that it could have been done to protect investors. Last month FINRA amended its Suitability Rule to conform with SEC Reg. BI and made it clear that stockbrokers now uniformly have duties related to disclosure, care, conflicts and compliance, which are equivalent to the common law “fiduciary duty” standard when making recommendations to retail customers. See, FINRA Regulatory Notice 20-18. 1
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