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Wealth Management Litigation Attorney

Company Profile 

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, and individuals from more than 1,200 offices in 43 countries.

As a market leader, the talent and passion of our people is critical to our success. Together, we share a common set of values rooted in integrity, excellence, and strong team ethic. Morgan Stanley can provide a superior foundation for building a professional career - a place for people to learn, achieve and grow. A philosophy that balances personal lifestyles, perspectives and needs is an important part of our culture.

Department Profile

Professionals within Legal and Compliance provide a wide range of services to our business units. They might help to structure a complex and sensitive cross-border transaction; advise on a new product introduction; develop a training program or defuse an investor dispute. They preserve the firm's invaluable reputation for integrity and protect the firm from sanctions with policies and procedures that meet regulatory requirements around the world. They also strive to maintain cooperative relationships with governmental policy makers and the regulatory and self-regulatory agencies that govern the firm's businesses.

Wealth Management Litigation has 18 trial lawyers in three states. The group handles litigation and regulatory enforcement matters for the Wealth Management Division of Morgan Stanley and its digital direct business through E*TRADE, as well as providing litigation support for other client-facing businesses. The California Unit currently has five lawyers covering matters arising out of offices in the Western Region, E*TRADE and certain other client-facing businesses.

Position Responsibilities

Morgan Stanley is seeking a litigation attorney to handle a docket of arbitrations, civil litigations and regulatory enforcement investigations and inquiries for its Wealth Management business. This includes matters related to the Firm's broker-dealers, investment advisers, banks, digital platforms such as E*TRADE, and other entities. 

The position requires:

• Strong oral and written advocacy, analytical skills, creativity, and the ability to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, and regulators.
• Manage independently a large volume of diverse matters, including trial work before FINRA Dispute Resolution; regulatory enforcement matters, and investigations conducted by the SEC, FINRA, DOJ and state regulators; and occasional handling of court matters.
• Experience defending claims in trial and/or arbitration and handling regulatory enforcement matters is essential. This is a hands-on litigation position, but the attorney will also utilize a variety of outside counsel for certain matters.
• Success in this environment requires the candidate to be self-motivated, independent, and resourceful, as most matters are staffed and handled in-house with one lawyer, but also to work as part of a team.
• The attorney will interface with front office clients as well as partners in Legal, Compliance, Risk, Operations, Technology, and other departments at the Firm.
• The position includes administrative responsibilities for case management and other internal and external reporting related to matters.

What You'll Do:

• Litigate disputes in arbitration and state and federal courts, including responsibilities for strategy, case investigation, legal research, drafting and arguing motions, managing discovery, preparation of witnesses, and preparing and conducting arbitrations.
• Handle SEC, FINRA, DOJ and state regulatory investigations and enforcement matters, including responsibilities for strategy, case investigation, interviewing and preparing witnesses, and drafting written responses to and interacting with regulators/government attorneys.
• Represent Morgan Stanley and its current and former employees in FINRA arbitrations, court proceedings, mediations, and regulatory matters.
• Analyze and evaluate litigation and/or regulatory risks and recommend solutions to manage and minimize those risks.
• Provide legal advice on ad hoc matters to internal business clients, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Operations, Technology, and other departments at the Firm.
• Analyze and escalate operational risks identified through litigation and regulatory investigations.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with colleagues in Legal, Compliance, Risk, Operations, Technology, and other departments at the Firm.
• Manage and partner with outside counsel in select litigation matters.
• Conduct internal and external regulatory reporting.

What You Bring:

• Member of the California Bar.
• 4-8 years of litigation experience, preferably including experience at a top-tier law firm, government trial attorney, regulatory enforcement attorney or in-house counsel.
• Significant experience working on trials, arbitrations, law and motion hearings, other hearing experience and/or mediations.
• Regulatory investigations/enforcement experience and/or experience conducting internal investigations.
• Work independently, as most matters are staffed with one lawyer.
• Skilled and persuasive negotiator.
• Strong oral and written advocacy skills.
• Strategic, analytical thinker and creative problem solver.
• Tenacious and determined.
• Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to work with clients, colleagues, regulators, and counsel at every level.
• Detail-oriented and organized with strong time and case management systems.
• Handle a large volume of diverse matters with minimal support and direction.

Morgan Stanley's goal is to build and maintain a workforce that is diverse in experience and background but uniform in reflecting our standards of integrity and excellence. Consequently, our recruiting efforts reflect our desire to attract and retain the best and brightest from all talent pools. We want to be the first choice for prospective employees.

It is the policy of the Firm to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, sex stereotype, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, disability, marital and civil partnership/union status, pregnancy, veteran or military service status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce (M/F/Disability/Vet).

Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $110,000.00 and $190,000.00 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.