Nationally recognized Philadelphia federal criminal defense and white collar crime attorney NiaLena Caravasos was invited back to her alma mater, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, to serve as legal advisor to MBA students preparing to negotiate a securities settlement. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NiaLena connected virtually with her MBA team and provided legal advice regarding the pros and cons of their case study in which an Investor is suing a Brokerage Firm and Broker for the alleged improper management of the Investor’s multi-million dollar portfolio. Representing the Broker, NiaLena assessed the merits of the securities lawsuit against her Broker team by the Investor as well as the divergent interests between the Broker and the Brokerage Firm and provided strategic advice to the Wharton MBA students regarding their best options in conducting a settlement negotiation and trying to secure the most favorable outcome for the Broker in addition to weighing the implications regarding the alternative of proceeding to arbitration. While working with the MBA students in analyzing all points of contention, NiaLena focused not only on legal strategy in order to help the Broker prevail but also on how to best deal with the numerous ethical issues and issues of professional responsibility and transparency in the securities industry.
