Securities broker fraud attorneys focus their practices on transactions related to securities, which are typically shares of stock secured by the profits and/or assets of the corporation. Many of these attorneys specifically handle cases where some sort of fraud has occurred, whether it is at the hands of a securities broker, a broker-dealer, an investment advisor, or a corporate board of directors. Securities attorneys must also be familiar and experienced with the state and federal securities laws that govern securities fraud, as fraud cases usually may be filed in either state or federal court. Finally, securities attorneys must be accustomed to dealing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is the federal regulation and enforcement agency for federal securities laws, as well as any state agencies that deal with securities regulation. However, attorneys who specialize in securities law typically are not involved in any criminal cases resulting from securities fraud. Rather, potential criminal cases are referred to the appropriate prosecutors at the federal and/or state level, in order to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.