Lecturer Bios
Erin K. Linehan, Esq.
Erin K. Linehan, Esq. is Associate General Counsel – Compliance, Head of Dispute Resolution and Senior and At-Risk Investor Protection at Raymond James Financial, Inc. Prior to her present role, Ms. Linehan was a Senior Litigator in the Legal Department at Raymond James for 12 years. Most of her practice was focused on securities customer complaint arbitrations; however, she also handled internal investigations, intellectual property litigation, recruiting disputes, collections, and employment issues. Ms. Linehan is a frequent speaker and presenter for the company on lessons learned and best practices, for both new and experienced financial advisors, supervisors, and business managers. Additionally, Ms. Linehan also helps lead the Senior Investor Task Force for the firm. Ms. Linehan is originally from New York and received her B.S. from Cornell University. She graduated from Tulane Law School, cum laude, with a specialization in European Legal Studies. She has her Series 7, 9 and 10 licenses, is a FINRA Arbitrator and a member of SIFMA’s Senior Investor Working Group. In 2016, Ms. Linehan founded and currently leads an organization of women lawyers in the Southeast who practice in the financial services area called Southeast Women in Financial Services.
Brian Kovack, Esq.
Brian Kovack is Co-Founder and President of Kovack Financial, a national full-service independent broker-dealer and registered investment advisor based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In this role, Mr. Kovack oversees the firm’s day-to-day operations and serves as a strategic partner to its 400 affiliated independent financial advisors across the country. Most recently, Mr. Kovack was elected to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Board of Governors and is serving a three-year term to end in August, 2018. Prior to the current FINRA Board, in 2006 Mr. Kovack was elected to serve as the Industry Representative on the NASD Board of Governors and the FINRA Interim Board of Governors. In addition, he completed a three-year term on the FINRA District 7 Committee, and served a one-year term on the FINRA Regulatory Advisory Committee in 2013. Mr. Kovack received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Florida, where he played varsity football for Coach Steve Spurrier, earning two Letters and SEC Academic Honor Roll awards. He earned a Master of Accounting and Juris Doctorate (JD) degrees from Nova Southeastern University and has been a member of the Florida Bar and American Bar Association since 2000. In 2004, Mr. Kovack graduated from the FINRA Institute at Wharton Program at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned the Certified Regulatory and Compliance Professional™ (CRCP™) designation. He has served as a FINRA Dispute Resolution arbitrator since 2003 and has been a Hearing Officer for FINRA disciplinary hearings. Mr. Kovack maintains the Series 7, 24, 27, 53, 63 and 65 licenses.