The Protocol for Broker Recruiting was a game changer. It was created in 2004 by three of the then five wirehouses (Smith Barney, UBS and Merrill Lynch, with the two remaining wires – Morgan Stanley and Wachovia [now Wells Fargo] – joining in 2006) as a way to simplify the recruiting process and protect transitioning advisors from restraining orders, protracted legal battles and time out of the business.
More than 12 years later, it’s the seminal document that has in excess of 1,400 signatories. Advisors moving from UBS to Morgan Stanley, from Ameriprise to HighTower, or from JPMorgan Securities to Raymond James, in all 50 states, are guided by attorneys well familiar with the document’s directives.
