John R. Snyder

John Snyder is an experienced litigator and regulatory attorney with a focus on commercial and financial litigation, defense of broker-dealer customer claims in arbitration and court, and related regulatory matters. He has represented national and regional broker-dealer and investment adviser firms and other financial institutions and associated individuals in a wide variety of matters arising from retail and institutional financial services operations. He has also successfully conducted, in a variety of fora, product liability and employment litigation, other financial services litigation, franchise litigation, government civil enforcement actions, and a variety of general commercial litigation, as well as construction arbitrations and Miller Act litigation.

Mr. Snyder is sensitive and responsive to the business and personal issues and interests at stake in litigation and regulatory matters. He has extensive experience with various modes of alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) and ADR fora. He acts as a mediator, arbitrator or settlement counsel in a wide variety of matters, and provides case assessment and discovery referee or master services.

Representative Experience

• Represented a broker-dealer firm and a registered representative in an arbitration brought by nine investors in a hedge fund that invested with Madoff; claimants sought over $10 million in damages.
• Represented broker-dealer firms and associated individuals in series of related sales practice arbitrations and pre-litigation customer complaints, along with associated regulatory inquiries.
• Represented broker-dealers, investment advisers, and other financial firms and associated persons in connection with audits, investigations, self-reporting initiatives, and adjudicatory proceedings before state securities regulators, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and FINRA.
• Represented clearing firms bringing indemnification claims in arbitrations against introducing brokers who had converted customer funds.
• Defended attorney general civil enforcement action.
• Defended various subcontractor claims brought against construction prime/general contractor.
• Participated in judicial proceedings seeking to compel arbitration, and to vacate, modify and confirm arbitration awards.
• Brought successful Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) arbitration claim seeking expungement of claims from registered representative’s Central Registration Depository (“CRD”) record.
• Assisted with submitter responses to government entities responding to Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) requests.
• Conducted and supervised debt collection and foreclosure actions.
• Represented major automobile manufacturer in litigation with dealers.
• Amicus curiae brief, McInnes v. LPL Financial, Supreme Judicial Court.
• Seconded to mortgage loan servicing affiliate of major broker-dealer. On-site, served as counsel to foreclosure task force formed to investigate, assess and remedy issues with foreclosure processes and practices. Assisted with responses to extensive regulatory inquiries and examinations and with reorganization of the company’s processes for responding to and monitoring litigation.
• Investigated, proposed remediation and supervisory improvements, and assisted with preparation of report to state securities regulator concerning variable annuity sales in a broker-dealer branch office.
• Coordinated team researching, assessing and responding to customer complaints to a major broker-dealer concerning auction rate securities.
• Led review as consultant of regional broker-dealer’s supervision of one of its branch offices.