Tara A. LaClair

Tara represents financial institutions, broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, insurance companies, and financial professionals in litigation and arbitration across the United States. Her financial services practice includes securities and fiduciary disputes, regulatory proceedings, internal investigations, and matters involving overlapping legal, financial, reputational, and business risks. She also represents China- and Hong Kong-based clients in U.S. securities and financial industry litigation, where cross-border matters bring additional legal, regulatory, and business considerations.

Tara has tried more than 35 matters to conclusion, including jury and bench trials, FINRA and employment arbitrations, administrative proceedings, and emergency injunction matters. Her experience also includes appeals. She regularly represents clients before the SEC, FINRA, state securities regulators, insurance departments, and other governmental agencies, and advises on compliance, risk management, investigations, and crisis response. As a FINRA arbitrator, she also has experience evaluating evidence and credibility from the decision-maker’s perspective.

A significant part of Tara’s work concerns disputes arising from advisor transitions and team departures. She handles raiding allegations, restrictive covenants, trade secrets, customer solicitation, Protocol issues, fiduciary disputes, and requests for emergency injunctive relief. Her broader litigation practice includes employment disputes, white-collar defense matters, and bad-faith litigation for businesses, executives, and professionals as well as financial services clients.

Tara’s practice has roots in California’s financial services market and extends across jurisdictions and regulatory environments. She is admitted in California and Michigan, supporting her work in FINRA proceedings and related litigation requiring local licensure. She frequently speaks and writes about securities regulation, financial services litigation, restrictive covenants, employment mobility, arbitration, and regulatory developments affecting financial institutions and investment professionals.

• Served as lead counsel in a nine-week FINRA arbitration involving claims exceeding $100 million.
• Obtains complete defense verdicts in securities, employment, and FINRA arbitrations.
• Successfully represents financial advisors in promissory note, transition, and fraudulent inducement disputes.
• Represents financial institutions in customer, beneficiary, fiduciary, and account ownership disputes involving millions of dollars in assets.
• Defends class actions, securities litigation, bad faith claims, and professional liability matters.
• Handles high-profile employment mobility, raiding, and restrictive covenant disputes.
• Represents clients in regulatory investigations, enforcement proceedings, and internal investigations.
• Trying business disputes involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair competition, tortious interference, and business interference claims.

• Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M. (Securities & Financial institutions)
• Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, J.D.
• Eastern Michigan University, B.B.A.

• California
• Michigan
• Oklahoma
• Central District of California
• Northern District of California
• Northern District of Ohio
• US Bankruptcy Court – Western District of Oklahoma
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Oklahoma
• U.S Supreme Court

• The Journal Record 50 Making a Difference Honoree (2019)
• Named Top 25 Women Super Lawyers in Oklahoma (2022)
• Listed in America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators (2017)
• Super Lawyers®, Securities Litigation Law, Business Litigation Law, Employment Litigation: Defense Law, Energy & Natural Resources Law, Oklahoma City, OK (2013-2014, 2017-2023)
• Super Lawyers Rising Stars®, Securities Litigation Law, Business Litigation Law, Employment Litigation: Defense Law, Energy & Natural Resources Law, Oklahoma City, OK (2008-2009)
• Certificate of Special Tribute from the State of Michigan

• FINRA Dispute Resolution Arbitrator
• Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA)
• American Health Lawyers Association
• ABA Fellow