George C. Miller is a partner in the Firm’s San Diego office. He has been recognized as one of the top securities and business litigation attorneys in San Diego, having represented clients in multi-million-dollar disputes in arbitration forums and courts across the country. Mr. Miller’s practice focuses on securities arbitration and litigation, trade secret disputes, FINRA, SEC, and state regulatory proceedings, and other business disputes in the securities and financial services industry. Mr. Miller also represents clients in business and corporate litigation, employment litigation, contractual disputes, real property litigation and judgment enforcement proceedings. He routinely counsels financial advisors in transitioning from one firm to another and has appeared before California state and federal courts, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), JAMS, and the AAA Arbitration Forum in trials, arbitrations, and mediations in California and elsewhere. Mr. Miller serves as a neutral arbitrator through FINRA’s dispute resolution forum.

From 2023-2025, George was named to the San Diego Super Lawyers® list, an award recognizing the top 5% of attorneys nationwide. From 2015 to 2022, George was selected as a Super Lawyers® “Rising Star,” an award recognizing the top 2.5% of lawyers in California. In 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 he also was recognized as one of the “most outstanding lawyers in San Diego” by the San Diego Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” publication and was a semi-finalist for the San Diego Daily Transcript’s “Top Attorneys” publication in 2013. Mr. Miller is a member of the California State and San Diego County Bar Associations, SIFMA Legal and Compliance division, the San Diego Financial Planners Association, and the San Diego Texas Exes alumni association.

Mr. Miller graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Government with a minor in Business. He attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego and graduated summa cum laude, earning many “high-grade” awards throughout law school. Mr. Miller became a member of the Thomas Jefferson Law Review based on academic achievement and served as both an articles and notes editor.

Mr. Miller’s past achievements and representative cases include the following:

• Obtained $1.8 million arbitration award on behalf of former USAA wealth managers in securities industry employment dispute – Christopher Johnson and Lee Przybyla v. USAA Financial Advisors, Inc – FINRA Case No. 17-03279.
• Obtained $5 million arbitration award on behalf of former Morgan Stanley financial advisors in securities industry employment and recruitment dispute – Todd Vitale and John Paladino v. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC, FINRA Case No. 11-01633.
• Successfully defended former employees of a publicly-traded medical device company in a multi-million dollar federal court litigation involving allegations of misappropriation under the Defend Trade Secrets Act.
• Successfully defended members of a team of advisors managing $1 billion+ in assets in FINRA Arbitration proceeding alleging misappropriation of trade secrets under the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act and federal Defend Trade Secrets Act.
• Successfully defendant respondent in FINRA Arbitration claim involving allegations of unsuitable options trading.
• Represented numerous financial advisors in proceedings against FINRA member firms involving claims for wrongful termination, breach of employment agreement and other, related claims.
• Represented numerous financial advisors in Form U5 expungement proceedings before FINRA’s Arbitration Division and obtained orders directing the expungement of false and inaccurate information stored in FINRA’s Central Registration Depository (CRD).
• Represented a large, registered investment advisor (RIA) team in multi-million dollar business divorce with former partners.
• Represented numerous top-producing financial advisors and teams in claims against prior firm involving nonpayment of deferred compensation and other benefits.
• Represented corporations in international breach of contract disputes.
• Represented numerous financial advisors in FINRA and SEC regulatory proceedings.
• Represented numerous financial advisors in expungement proceedings and in negotiating U4 and U5 disclosure language.
• Obtained pre-hearing dismissal of six-figure claim against brokerage firm client.
• Represented large RIA firm and its principals in multi-million-dollar claim involving REIT investments.
• Represented elderly couple defrauded by mortgage scheme and obtained favorable settlement.
• Represented former financial advisor in wrongful termination litigation through completion of hearings, resulting in a favorable FINRA arbitration award.
• Defended financial consultant in heavily contested litigation involving alleged professional negligence resulting in a dismissal of all claims and a subsequent favorable settlement.
• Represented professional real estate investor in litigation involving fraud and price fixing.

Education

• Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California
  • J.D., summa cum laude, 2008
  • Law Review: Thomas Jefferson Law Review, Articles & Notes Editor, 2007 – 2008
• The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
  • B.A., with Honors, 2004
  • Major: Government
  • Minor: Business, McCombs School of Business

Bar Admissions

• California
• Texas
• U.S. District Court Southern District of California
• U.S. District Court, Central District of California
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Publications & Presentations

• Broker Transitions: An Overview of Legal and Practical Considerations
• Presenter, San Diego County Bar Association, Annual Securities Law Update, October 2020
• Quoted by Investment News
• Quoted by AdvisorHub
• Presenter, San Diego County Bar Association, Annual Securities Law Update, November 16, 2016
• Quoted by FundFire, a Financial Times Service
• Putting Convictions Into Perspective, Investment News, 2011
• Drivers Won’t Pay the Only Toll: Why the Foothill-South Toll Road…, 30 T. Jefferson L. Rev. 279, 30, 2007

Honors & Awards

George has been recognized as one of the top securities and business litigation attorneys in San Diego. His awards and recognitions include:

• Super Lawyers®, 2025
• Super Lawyers®, 2024
• Super Lawyers®, 2023
• Super Lawyers® “Rising Star”, 2022
• Super Lawyers® “Rising Star”, 2021
• Super Lawyers® “Rising Star”, 2020
• Super Lawyers® “Rising Star”, 2019
• Super Lawyers® “Rising Star”, 2018
• Super Lawyers® “Rising Star”, 2017
• San Diego Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar”, 2017
• SuperLawyers® “Rising Star”, 2016
• San Diego Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar”, 2016
• AVVO Rating “10 of 10 – Superb”
• San Diego Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar”, 2015
• SuperLawyers® “San Diego Rising Star”, 2015 (Securities Litigation)
• San Diego Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar”, 2014
• San Diego Daily Transcript’s “Young Attorneys”, Finalist, 2014
• San Diego Daily Transcript’s “Top Attorneys” (Labor/Employment), 2014
• Semi-Finalist, San Diego Daily Transcript’s “Top Attorneys” (Corporate Litigation), 2013
• International – Referral “Rising Star”, 2013
• San Diego Daily Transcript’s Top “Young Attorneys”, 2013
• San Diego Daily Transcript’s Top “Young Attorneys”, 2012