Together, they have vast experience of advisory and contentious work for leading Financial Services Firms. The team also has extensive practical experience of UK and EU regulation (including FSMA, the associated statutory instruments and the FSA Handbook) and Exchange requirements across the globe through considerable in-house and private practice experience and Mr. Katz's experience at the Financial Services Authority.

Alerts and Materials

Advisory Work

On the advisory side, the team assists clients with:

Establishing new businesses
Tracking and analysing new UK and EU financial regulation and advising on the practical implications
Strategic advice and new product structuring
The maintenance and development of compliance systems and processes
Conduct of business and prudential advice
Advice in relation to internal investigations
Training and preparation for regulatory visits and interviews
Employment law advice

The team has particular experience in the following areas: authorisations and permissions to conduct regulated activities; corporate governance (senior management and approved persons obligations); systems and controls, compliance manuals and managing conflicts of interest; treating customers fairly, research and financial promotions; anti-money laundering; e-money and payment services; regulatory capital and liquidity issues; remuneration policies; training and competence requirements; high frequency trading; wholesale markets and trading issues; exchange requirements; data protection issues.

Examples of the team's advisory work include:

The set up of new regulated businesses in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and New York
The set up of an ETF market making business in London
Developing new risk and compliance processes for a trading firm
Re-structuring of a global trading group
The deregulation of a regulated business
Advising on the set up of a quantitative trading business

Contentious Regulatory Work

On the contentious side, the team has deep experience with financial services contentious work advising and assisting leading financial institutions and funds and FTSE listed companies in contentious matters, including regulatory and exchange investigations in the UK, EU, the US and Asia. The team assists clients with:

Regulatory and exchange interviews and investigations
Conducting internal investigations
The appointment of investigators and document requests
Appearances before the RDC and referrals to the Financial Services and Markets Tribunal
Warning, Decision and Final Notices
Financial crime issues involving individuals or firms including offences involving money laundering, insider trading or market abuse
Banking and trading disputes

Examples of the team's contentious regulatory work include:

Advising one of the largest City mutual funds houses in relation to the industry-wide FSA investigation of "market timing" and "late trading" practices
Advising a listed client in relation to an FSA investigation into insider dealing into the company's shares
Representing a leading trading firm in an exchange investigation—the exchange dismissed allegations of breaches of exchange rules against the firm
Co-representing a senior investment banker in a leading investment bank at an FSA hearing at the request of a Canadian regulator
Advising a leading aircraft manufacturer on issues arising out of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002

Banking/Financial Services Disputes

Examples of the team's banking/financial services disputes experience include:

Advising in relation to the Barings litigation following the collapse of Barings Bank in the 1990's
Advising a leading American investment bank in relation to a claim for professional negligence brought against its private wealth management business
Advising a leading American investment bank in relation to a stress claim brought by an employee
Advising a German investment bank in relation to a trading dispute with an American investment bank relating to the collapse of the Turkish money markets in 2001
Advising a UK company in resisting a claim brought by an international bank in relation to loan and swap deposit securities
Advising a financial services firm on obtaining a freezing injunction in relation to misappropriation of monies
Advising a finance firm and its employees in resisting proceedings for the enforcement of restraint of trade in the High Court
Advising a global finance firm in relation to concurrent proceedings brought in the High Court and the New Jersey Superior Court in relation to a fees dispute

Top