A security is a type of transferable interest representing financial value. Securities may take a number of different forms, including stocks, bonds, notes, collateral trust certificates, voting trust certificates or investment contracts. Securities attorneys represent clients in transactions and legal disputes related to stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and initial public offerings (IPOs). Securities attorneys may represent a corporation or shareholders in a securities fraud lawsuit against officers and directors of the corporation, or may assist clients in matters involving the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. In 2008, the population was estimated at 49,775 and the surrounding Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated population of 172,933 in 2008. Although often believed to be named for ragtime composer Scott Joplin who lived in Sedalia, Missouri, Joplin is actually named for the Reverend Harris Joplin, the founder of the area's first Methodist congregation. Joplin was established in 1873 and expanded significantly from the wealth created by the mining of zinc, its growth faltering after World War II when the price of the mineral collapsed. The city gained additional renown as one of the stops on the historic Route 66.