inancialCounsel.com is sponsored by James Eccleston, equity partner in Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat, Filipowski & Eccleston, Attorneys at Law. Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat, Filipowski & Eccleston, P.C. is a nine-attorney law firm practicing in many areas of the law. The securities law practice group of the firm represents individuals, businesses, trustees, beneficiaries, and ERISA plan sponsors in arbitration and litigation to recover their investment losses. Additionally, the securities attorneys work with brokers, investment advisers and other financial services professionals in regulatory, compliance and disciplinary matters, as well as in customer disputes and employment matters, such as litigation of post-employment, non-disclosure, non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements, as well as promissory note claims.

You can find more information on these and other experienced securities law professionals at
SNSFE Law.com.

James J. Eccleston

James J. Eccleston is an equity partner and shareholder with Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat, Filipowski & Eccleston, P.C., heading the firm's securities law practice group.

Mr. Eccleston has held numerous securities licenses - investment adviser (Series 65), securities principal (Series 24), and securities representative (Series 7) with the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD).

Additionally, at the Chicago Bar Association, Mr. Eccleston: 1) is a past co-chair of the Securities Law Committee; 2) is a past chair of the Investment and Financial Services Committee; and 3) is a past co-chair of the Litigation and Enforcement Sub-Committee of the Securities Law Committee.

The well-known Martindale-Hubbell Rating System awards Mr. Eccleston (as well as the law firm) the highest rating for Legal Ability and General Ethical Standards, the distinguished "AV" rating.¹ Martindale-Hubbell defines this rating as follows: "An AV rating reflects an attorney who has reached the heights of professional excellence. He or she has usually practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity".

In 2008, 2007, 2006 and in 2005, Law & Politics named Mr. Eccleston to the Illinois "Super Lawyer" list published in Chicago Magazine, Super Lawyers and at www.superlawyers.com. The Super Lawyer designation is awarded to the top 5% of lawyers in a particular state through peer nomination and review by a blue ribbon panel. Likewise, in 2006, Mr. Eccleston was named to the Illinois "Leading Lawyer" list compiled by Law Bulletin Publishing and published in Leading Lawyers Network magazine and at www.leadinglawyers.com. This distinction is earned by less than 5% of the lawyers in a particular state and is based upon peer recommendation and advisory board review.

Among Mr. Eccleston's notable achievements, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, he obtained one of the first arbitration awards against an on-line brokerage firm for its mishandling a customer order and other sales practice violations. He won the first arbitration award against a major brokerage firm for failing to disclose tax consequences and failing to protect a concentrated stock position resulting from the exercise of employee stock options, and in 2006 obtained nearly $1.5 million in settlement for a similar failure to hedge and implementation of a speculative, naked put selling strategy. In 2003, he obtained a $2.8 million award for a customer whose account had been excessively traded and to whom the broker had sold unsuitable investments. In 2004, Mr. Eccleston assisted litigators at the firm obtain a federal court jury verdict against a bank and trust company for failing to prudently invest a retiree's account by concentrating investments in technology and telecommunications stocks. In that year he also obtained an arbitration award against a brokerage firm for making unsuitable recommendations of third party (separate account) money managers.

In 2007 and 2001, Mr. Eccleston won substantial arbitration awards for stockbrokers for compensatory damages resulting from wrongful termination and Form U-5 defamation. These awards included Form U-5 amendments to remove defamatory language as well as declaring an outstanding promissory note balance to be null and void. In 1991 Mr. Eccleston obtained the largest jury verdict ever at the time in Cook County, Illinois for a defamation and wrongful termination for a business executive. Mr. Eccleston frequently assists financial advisers with various regulatory, employment and business matters as they move from one firm to another.

Mr. Eccleston frequently is quoted in the press, including the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, On Wall Street and Registered Representative magazine. In May 2006, Wealth Manager prominently quoted him in connection with assisting investment advisers to comply with SEC regulations. During that same month, Wall Street Letter quoted him on brokerage firm non-solicitation agreements with financial advisers. His comments appeared in the January 2002 Smart Money article entitled, "Ten Things Your Financial Planner Won't Tell You" as well as in the October 7, 2002 Chicago Tribune article "Change in Brokers' Role Boosts Complaints."

Mr. Eccleston has been a guest on various radio talk shows and on national television, including CNN. He has appeared several times on First Business Morning News Show on PBS to discuss investor issues such as investment frauds and hedge fund due diligence.

Mr. Eccleston is a prolific writer, contributing articles to several magazines. Featured in the April 2007 issue of Wealth Manager is his article "The Culture of Compliance." The March 2007 issue of Research Magazine features his article, "Are Brokers Entitled To Overtime Pay?" Mr. Eccleston writes columns for publications such as InvestmentNews, Advising Boomers magazine, the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (a lawyer's daily), Debits and Credits (an accountant's monthly) and the Chicago Lawyer (a lawyer's monthly). Additionally, Mr. Eccleston writes for his blog, FinancialCounsel, which also features podcasts of many of his articles as well as commentary on current events affecting investors and investment professionals. For seven years he was the monthly legal columnist for On Wall Street (a national stockbroker's monthly). His writings also have appeared in Physician's Money Digest, the Agent's Sales Journal and www.MyCFO.com.

Among other professional publications, he is the co-editor and contributing author for Securities Law, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), 2003 Edition, writing the chapter, Securities Arbitration. He wrote "The 'Sophisticated Investor' Dichotomy: A Legitimate Defense to Suitability Claims?" published in Securities Arbitration 2005 (Practicing Law Institute).

Additionally, Mr. Eccleston is a course instructor for Suing Securities Professionals, an online, on-demand video course offering one hour of MCLE credit for Illinois attorneys. The course can be previewed at www.MentorCLE.com.

Mr. Eccleston also speaks to bar associations, investor groups, and financial professionals regarding securities laws and brokerage operations. Among numerous other speaking engagements, Mr. Eccleston was chosen to speak before the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) at both its 2006 Midwest Region Conference and its 2006 National Conference regarding avoiding customer complaints. Also in 2006, he spoke before the Illinois CPA Society regarding securities compliance and regulatory issues. He has participated in Raymond James Investment Advisors Division Portfolio Managers' Conferences, most recently in June 2005 speaking on "Preparing To Compete." Mr. Eccleston was honored to be a member of the faculty for the highly acclaimed Practicing Law Institute's program, "Securities Arbitration 2005; Telling Your Story". He spoke on three topics: Is There a Story Worth Telling?; Quantifying Suitability, Risk and Damages; and Telling Your Story with Demonstrative Evidence. Additionally, he was chosen to speak at the 86th Annual Conference of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) in 2003 on the topic of, "What's New on the Street," to assist state securities regulators protect investors.

Mr. Eccleston is qualified as an arbitrator (chairperson) as well as a mediator with the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and has served as an arbitrator and a mediator. He is a member of the Compliance and Legal Division of the Securities Industry Association (SIA) as well as a member of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA). Mr. Eccleston is a director of the Chicago Loop Council of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) as well as the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA). He also is a member of the Union League Club of Chicago, chairing its Financial Services Group and a member of its Members Activities Committee.

Mr. Eccleston attended the University of Chicago, earning his BA in politics, economics, rhetoric and law. He received his Masters Degree (MA) from Boston College. He graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School with a Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) in 1987. He is admitted to practice law before the courts of Illinois and Massachusetts, as well as the United States Tax Court.

Find out more about James Eccleston at SNSFE Law.com.

Christopher J. Moyen

Christopher J. Moyen is an associate attorney with the securities practice group at Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat, Filipowski & Eccleston, P.C. He concentrates his practice in securities regulatory and compliance matters for broker-dealers, registered representatives and investment advisers before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and the securities regulators in all fifty states.

Mr. Moyen has experience in complex commercial and class action litigation, securities arbitration and litigation, and proceedings before the SEC, NASD, NYSE and other regulatory agencies. Prior to joining SNSFE, Mr. Moyen was a lead Enforcement Attorney for the Secretary of State of Georgia in the Securities and Business Regulation Division where he reviewed and evaluated formal investigative cases to identify violations of securities laws in conjunction with the SEC, NASD, NYSE, and other regulatory agencies. As lead Enforcement Attorney, he investigated the activities of a national broker-dealer that resulted in the largest securities settlement award in Georgia history.

Additionally, Mr. Moyen has passed the Certified Public Accountant's examination and has considerable experience conducting financial due diligence, performing audit procedures, and preparing financial statements for portfolio investors.

He received his JD, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law where he was an articles editor and on the editorial board of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law. While there, he received the Corpus Juris Secundum Award for Scholastic Excellence in Property Law. Mr. Moyen is a cum laude graduate of Oral Roberts University with a BS in accounting. He is admitted to practice law in the States of Illinois and Georgia.

Find out more about Christopher J. Moyen at SNSFE Law.com.

Ronald M. Amato

Ronald M. Amato is an associate attorney with Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat, Filipowski & Eccleston, P.C. Mr. Amato has extensive experience representing investors, registered representatives, investment advisers, and securities broker-dealers, in securities arbitration and litigation matters involving investment-related and securities industry disputes. He frequently represents investors in matters involving unsuitable investments, violations of state and federal securities laws, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligence. Additionally, Mr. Amato has counseled financial services professionals, as well as securities broker-dealers, in employment matters such as litigation of post-employment, non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements, as well as promissory note claims.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Amato was employed as a registered representative and assistant branch office manager at a national broker-dealer. While working in the securities industry, Mr. Amato gained valuable experience working with a variety of investment products, including equities and options. He has held a license for securities representative (Series 7, Series 63) with the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD).

While attending law school, Mr. Amato was a law clerk at a Chicago firm representing national broker-dealers in securities arbitration. Mr. Amato is a graduate of the Chicago-Kent College of Law where his studies focused on corporate law and securities regulation. He attended Northern Illinois University where he received a BA in economics.

Mr. Amato is admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois and before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association, where he is an active participant in the Securities Law, Investment and Financial Services, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees.

Find out more about Ronald Amato at SNSFE Law.com.

Websites

James J. Eccleston sponsors www.financialcounsel.com, a nationally recognized website, where readers can access investor alerts, articles, and other information of interest to investors and investment professionals. His companion blog, FinancialCounsel, featuring podcasts of his many articles and additional commentary under What's Up With That? is located on the web at www.financialcounsel.typepad.com. For information relating to the other practice areas of Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat, Filipowski & Eccleston, P.C., please visit www.snsfe-law.com.

Contact Information

Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat, Filipowski & Eccleston, P.C.
20 North Wacker Drive
Suite 2900
Chicago, Illinois 60606-9719
312-621-4400
312-621-0268 (fax)

¹ CV, BV and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties, Inc. used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedure standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review process that rates lawyers. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories-legal ability and general ethical standards. Legal Ability Ratings are: "C" - Good to High; "B" - High to Very High; and "A" - Very High to Preeminent. There is one general ethical standard rating - "V" or "very high" - and an attorney must receive it in order to be rated.