INVESTOR ADVOCACY
ELDER FINANCIAL ABUSE
CONSUMER PROTECTION
EMPLOYEE RIGHTS
BUSINESS DISPUTES
Hard-Charging Aggressive Representation
ARIES LEGAL is passionate about helping victims of investor fraud, financial abuse, consumer fraud, and other wrongful acts causing financial harm. We pursue lawsuits and arbitrations against stockbrokers, investment advisors, investment firms, and other fiduciaries to recover your losses. We have a special interest in protecting elderly investors, who are particularly vulnerable to investment fraud and financial exploitation. We will zealously advocate on your behalf, in court, mediation, or FINRA arbitration, as your case may require.
In addition to investment/consumer claims, ARIES LEGAL handles claims for employer misconduct, such as discrimination, sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and wrongful termination. We also defend employees on claims that they violated a non-competition or trade-secret agreement. We will also pursue your claims for defamation or human rights violations, both inside and outside the employment context.
Additionally, ARIES LEGAL has significant experience litigating business disputes, including claims for professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and shareholder-partnership disputes.
If you believe you are the victim of investor/consumer fraud, employer misconduct, or have suffered economic harm due to the unlawful conduct of others, click here to contact ARIES LEGAL. The initial consultation is free.
Videos About Aries Legal:
Why did you change your firm name from Taylor Law Office to Aries Legal?
I’ve been operating Taylor Law Office since about 2005, and through Taylor Law Office, my specialty was securities litigation and arbitration. I represented a mix of defendants (meaning stock brokerage firms and individual stockbrokers) and I also represented some customers against brokerage firms. I decided recently that I was going to switch my practice to solely focus on representing plaintiffs – representing victims of investor fraud and other forms of financial fraud. And I decided I needed a new image, a new name, and to me the word “Aries” – even though I’m not really into astrology – but the word “Aries” conveys passion and confidence and assertiveness. And of course, the symbol for Aries is a ram, which is supposed to be fearless and tenacious. And that’s exactly the image that I want for my law firm. So, I decided to rename it Aries Legal.
What types of cases do you handle at Aries Legal?
It’s a combination of investor advocacy type of cases (investors who have been defrauded by brokers and brokerage firms), that would be one area. Elder financial abuse – now that could be the same type of thing that I was just talking about, but it could also be some other fiduciary type relationship. It could be somebody who holds power of attorney for an elderly person who has defrauded them or exploited them. So, I handle those types of cases. I do general consumer protection types of cases. On top of that, I do employee rights cases – cases for sexual harassment or discrimination. And I do general business disputes – so, breach of contract or professional negligence, or that sort of thing.
What makes Aries Legal different from other law firms?
A couple of things. First of all, when you hire Aries Legal, you’re hiring me. You’re not hiring an associate or a junior partner. You’re getting me working on your case. So, that’s the first thing. The second thing is, I have worked for many years inside the securities industry, so I know the industry from the inside. I know the way it’s supposed to work. I know the areas in which firms often fail to maintain their responsibilities. And so, when you hire me, you hire somebody who really understands the other side of the case. And I can do it on a much more economical basis than a lot of attorneys can.
Protecting Investors / Consumers / Employees for 30 Years
Background and Experience:
I went to law school at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. I went there with the intention of being an entertainment attorney. I decided that’s what I wanted to do. But a funny thing happened while I was in law school: I actually really enjoyed the litigation type of classes like moot court and mock trial and that sort of thing. So, it was quite surprising to me that during law school, I decided to become a litigator, and I’ve been a litigator ever since. My first job out of law school was with Fredrikson & Byron, and I was a securities litigator with them. I’d actually written an article on Law Review about securities arbitration. So, when I arrived at Fredrikson, they said, “Well, we have a partner who does securities arbitration/litigation, and he needs assistance.” So, they assigned me to work with him, and it’s been my area of specialty since the first day I walked in the door.
Why Chet Became a Lawyer:
I actually always wanted to be an actor. I grew up doing theater. I did summer stock theater from age 10. I did it all the way through grade school and high school. I actually studied theater at the Boston Conservatory, moved to New York City, and spent a couple of years trying to be an actor in New York City. Unfortunately, things didn’t go exactly the way I had planned. So, I started thinking about another profession. I gave thought to being an accountant, to being a doctor, being a lawyer – and being a lawyer just seemed to be the closest fit to being an actor. Especially once I made the transition into litigation. Then there was an opportunity for me to get up in front of a judge or jury or a panel of arbitrators and argue my case.
F. Chet Taylor
Founder, Owner
Chet Taylor is uniquely qualified to pursue your claims against brokers/advisors, investment firms, fiduciaries, employers, and others who might have harmed you financially. Not only does he have 30 years experience litigating those types of claims, but for a significant part of his career, Chet worked as an attorney inside the financial services industry. That experience gave him tremendous insight into how investment firms are supposed to operate – and how they actually operate. Chet now uses that insight to your advantage in pursuing claims against investment firms and other large corporations.
Practice Areas
Investor Advocacy
Investment fraud may take many forms, including unauthorized trading, misrepresentations and omissions, selling away, churning, and Ponzi schemes. Investment firms sometimes engage in other serious violations that, while perhaps not technically “fraudulent,” may still result in substantial losses. Examples of those violations are the sale unsuitable investments, breach of fiduciary duty, failure to diversity, broker/advisor negligence, and failure to supervise. We have significant experience handling all of those types of cases, and more. Contact us if you are the victim of broker misconduct.
What types of cases do you handle for investors?
Well, for investors it could be any number of things. It could be the sale of unsuitable investments. The investor was looking for something that was more safe and secure, or something for retirement, and what they got was actually something that was very high risk. That would be one type of case. Another type of case would be a churning case. Churning means that the broker was trading the account with the intent of making money for himself through commissions, and without regard for the customer’s best interest. So those are the type of cases that we would typically see and pursue in a securities arbitration.
What types of Elder Law cases do you handle?
That would run the gamut from garden-variety securities cases where a broker has defrauded an elderly person. It’s my view that older people are especially susceptible to manipulation and exploitation by brokers. So, that would be probably the most common type of case I would handle. Another situation that could arise would be other fiduciary-type cases where an elderly person has a friend or a trusted family member who is supposed to be looking out for their best financial interests. And as it turns out, that person is cheating them; perhaps stealing from them or in some way exploiting them. I will handle those types of cases as well.
Elder Financial Abuse
Investors of any age may be victimized by unscrupulous brokers or other fiduciaries. But when the victim is elderly, the harm is especially devastating. Older investors typically are not employed and have no means to recreate wealth that has been squandered - wealth that took years of hard work to build, and which was intended to last a lifetime. At ARIES LEGAL, we are particularly sensitive to the unique needs of older investors.
In some circumstances, a close relative or a trusted friend could be exploiting the elderly person. Regardless of whether the fraud is perpetrated by a friend, relative, or financial professional, we are dedicated to doing everything in our power to return seniors to the same financial place they were in before the fraudulent conduct.
Consumer Protection
Consumers are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. Yet too often, large corporations use misleading and fraudulent tactics to sell their goods and services to consumers. These corporations might include banks, mortgage companies, investment firms, insurance companies, car dealers, home contractors, and online or for-profit colleges. Most states have enacted tough laws providing broad protections for consumers, and imposing significant sanctions against those who violate the laws. Special statutory protections are typically available for the elderly and vulnerable/disabled persons. If you believe you are the victim of consumer-directed misconduct, contact us to learn more about your rights.
What types of Consumer Protection cases do you handle?
That can run the gamut of everything from lemon law cases with the purchase of a new car. It can be online education, for-profit colleges – they can sometimes run afoul of the law. The bottom line is, the consumer is the backbone of the American economy. And too often, you have big corporations that are using deceptive practices to try and sell their products or their services. And when that occurs, if people believe that they have been victimized by that kind of deception, we take a look at that and give them our best advice as to whether the laws have been violated.
What types of Employee Rights cases do you handle?
I have handled cases for discrimination, age discrimination, and discrimination based on sexual orientation. I’m certainly available to handle employee rights cases based on sexual harassment, hostile work environment. Unfortunately, that is still very prevalent. We think we’re making progress in society; we think we’re creating safe workspaces for people; but there’s an imbalance in the power dynamic between employers and employees. Most of the time, employers are respectful of that dynamic, and then you have a healthy employee-employer relationship. But too often that power dynamic is taken advantage of by the employer. Those are the situations where we’re here to step in, and frankly, empower the employee.
Employee Rights
Employers typically wield significant power over their employees. Rarely does the average worker stand on equal ground with the employer. That said, when employers exercise their power fairly, the employment relationship can be mutually beneficial for employer and employee. But all too frequently, this imbalance of power leads to unfair treatment of employees. Such unfair treatment might take the form of sexual harassment, offensive behavior, hostile work environment, discrimination, retaliation, or even failure to properly pay wages and benefits. You have the right to a workplace free from any of those violations. We are here to empower you when your employer is attempting to take advantage of you.
Business Disputes
ARIES LEGAL has broad experience handling all manner of business-related disputes. We pursue (and defend) claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, professional negligence, common law fraud, non-compete and trade secret violations, tortious interference, and deceptive trade practices. We also handle shareholder/partnership disputes, defamation claims, and Human Rights Act violations. And, unlike many attorneys who profess to be litigators, we actually try cases. ARIES LEGAL ’s owner, F. Chet Taylor, has served as lead counsel on about 35 cases that went to trial or binding arbitration and resulted in a final judgment. That number does not include several other trials/arbitrations early in his career that Chet tried as “second chair.” In addition, Chet has handled many other cases, too numerous to count, that settled or were resolved by motion practice before going to trial.
What types of Business Dispute cases do you handle?
I handle a broad range of business disputes. It can be anything from a breach of contract case, or professional negligence case. I’ve actually handled quite a few shareholder/partnership dispute cases. Recently, I handled a case that I won on summary judgment and had it affirmed before the Minnesota Court of Appeals. It involved an individual shareholder leaving a company, and it was her view that she wasn’t being paid enough for her shares. That’s kind of the type of case that I will often get involved in.