Christopher Stephen Polaszek

Chris was born and raised in New Jersey and is the proud product of a union family. He worked with the Teamsters in order to put himself through college. He has extensive experience litigating consumer, commercial, securities, financial, and accounting matters, including class actions and arbitrations, from inception through resolution in jurisdictions and forums around the country. Chris has both successfully defended and prosecuted these types of litigation and arbitration matters. His education (Finance, MBA, JD, and LL.M. in Securities Regulation) and professional experience on Wall Street (Solomon Brothers - Equity Research), and Capitol Hill (Sen. Bob Graham), have provided him with a unique professional foundation.

Chris also regularly meets with institutional investors, including trustees of public and private pension funds, regarding their legal rights. Chris is frequently invited to teach continuing legal education courses on a number of topics in the context of complex commercial litigation. In this regard, he has given CLE presentations and lectures on securities fraud class actions; drafting amended complaints in securities fraud class actions; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; exposures and litigation issues facing participants in the subprime lending market; institutional investor responsibility and advocacy; corporate governance; fraud detection and prevention; and fiduciary responsibilities and obligations of public pension fund trustees. Additionally, Chris has devoted a significant amount of time to local charitable, civic, and community organizations and programs such as Tampa Connection, Junior Achievement, A Gift for Teaching, Bayshore Little League, Children's Dream Fund, SJE Dads' Club, Kentucky Colonels, and the FBI Citizens' Academy.