F. Chet Taylor
Owner and Founder
I am uniquely qualified to pursue your claims against brokers/advisors, investment firms, fiduciaries, and others who might have harmed you financially. Not only do I have 30 years experience litigating those types of claims, but for a significant part of my career, I worked as an attorney inside the financial services industry. That experience gave me tremendous insight into how investment firms are supposed to operate – and how they actually operate. I now use that insight to your advantage in pursuing claims against investment firms.
After graduating cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1988, I began my law career at Fredrikson & Byron, one of Minnesota’s largest law firms. During my time there, I received top-notch litigation training and earned a wealth of experience working on complex litigation matters, including class actions. Although I handled a broad range of business litigation subjects, my focus at Fredrikson from day one was securities litigation, arbitration, and regulation. I represented both investors and investment firms in roughly equal numbers at Fredrikson. I then began working as an in-house attorney in the financial services industry. I first served as Deputy General Counsel, then Chief Litigation Counsel, and ultimately General Counsel with three Minneapolis-based investment firms.
In 2002, I joined Ted Meikle (a former Fredrikson partner) to form the law firm of Meikle & Taylor. Our “boutique” litigation firm focused on securities litigation and arbitration, class actions, and other complex business litigation. Ted and I experienced several significant successes in our practice, relishing the “David vs. Goliath” role we often played against much larger law firms. One such example was a multi-million-dollar settlement on behalf of about 40 investors against Deutsche Bank Securities. When Ted moved back to his native Utah, I formed Taylor Law Office, where I continued my focus on the litigation/arbitration of investment fraud claims, representing both investors and investment firms.
Taylor Law Office is now ARIES LEGAL – and the change is more than just a new name. Once I began focusing my law practice exclusively on advocacy for victims of investment fraud, consumer fraud, and employer misconduct, I sought a new company name and logo to depict this new emphasis. Although I do not follow astrology, I chose the name “Aries” because of the traits typically associated with that sign: assertive, enterprising, determined, confident, enthusiastic, passionate, and energetic. The symbol for Aries is the ram, which inspired our new logo. The ram is known for its strength, tenacity, and fearlessness. Those are qualities you may expect when you hire ARIES LEGAL to represent you.
Education:
UNVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAW
- J.D. cum laude, 1988
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI LAW REVIEW
- Articles & Comments Editor (1987-88)
- Member (1986-88)
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
- Graduate-level business classes in accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing and statistics
Bar Memberships:
- Supreme Court of Minnesota (1988)
- United States District Court – District of Minnesota (1988)
Legal Associations:
- Member, Minnesota State and Hennepin County Bar Associations
- Member, MSBA Consumer Litigation, Elder Law, and Solo-Small Law Firms Sections
- Arbitrator, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”)
- Qualified Neutral (Mediator) under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice
Articles & Seminars:
- “The Arbitrability of Federal Securities Claims,” 42 U. MIAMI L. REV. 203 (1987), cited in Aronson v. Dean Witter Reynolds,
675 F. Supp. 1324, 1326 (S.D. Fla. 1988), also cited in numerous other articles - “Securities Compliance: Avoiding and Surviving Hot Water,” KAPLAN PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS, Minneapolis, MN
- “Securities Litigation and Arbitration,” SLMC Seminar, Sturgis, SD
- “So, You Have an Arbitration Award . . . Now What?” MINNESOTA TRIAL LAWYERS MAGAZINE
- “Legal Developments in Securities Litigation,” MINNESOTA INSTITUTE OF LEGAL EDUCATION, Minneapolis, MN
- “Recent Compliance Trends,” Dorsey & Whitney Securities Compliance Seminar, Minneapolis, MN
- “Ethical Issues in Representing Both BD and RR,” MN SIA General Counsel Roundtable
- “Defending and Administering Arbitrations – An In-House Perspective,” MINNESOTA INSTITUTE OF LEGAL EDUCATION, Minneapolis, MN