Adviser Team Leaves MSSB to Join Regional Firm

James “Jim” Locke and Bryan Cassells of The Locke-Cassells Group left Morgan Stanley Smith Barney December 11 to join the regional investment brokerage firm, according to an announcement.

Locke worked at Morgan Stanley for more than 18 years. While at Morgan Stanley, he met Cassells and formed The Locke-Cassells Group. The two went to Legg Mason, which was purchased by Smith Barney, which was then acquired by Morgan Stanley.

“The managing partners [at Capital Guardian] are entrepreneurs and have experience as financial advisers,” said Cassells, in the announcement. “They understand that the customer comes first. I love the open architecture platform, which means that we can do business with any company and aren’t pressured to sell proprietary products. Big firms try to control everything.”

Locke and Cassells join Marc Perkins, Don Bergeron, and Chris Misenhelder, all of whom joined the office in the last six months from wirehouse firms. The Charlotte office opened in June and is one of 17 offices in North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee.