July 10, 2013
I am a partner at Aidikoff, Uhl and Bakhtiari, a law firm devoted to the representation of individuals and institutions in disputes with the securities industry. I am a former President of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA) and the current Chairman of FINRA's National Arbitration and Mediation Committee (NAMC).
The purpose of this letter is to provide the Securities and Exchange Commission with comments on the above referenced rule proposal.
The proposed revision to the FINRA Code of Arbitration Procedure to make the all-public panel option the default is an important step to protect investors with arbitration claims.
I urge the Commission to approve this rule as quickly as possible.