Regulatory and Compliance Advisory

We advise clients on how to deal with inquiries and investigations from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). We also regularly represent the SRA at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, with a particular focus on cases involving serious AML and misconduct breaches.

We advise a range of financial services clients including banks, investment firms and other financial institutions on compliance with regulations such as the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), the Prudential Regulation Authority Rules (PRA) rules and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidelines. We also advise and represent clients who are being investigated by a financial regulator.

We help companies to navigate their legal and regulatory obligations. This includes responding to unexpected events or changes in law and frequently includes advising on corporate governance practices, and disclosure obligations.

We assist clients in understanding and adhering to sanctions imposed by the UK , EU and US. This can involve conducting investigations into counterparties, advising on sanctions compliance in the context of planned or anticipated transactions, or reviewing compliance controls and processes, and advising on improvements to ensure the client has sufficiently robust processes in place to detect and prevent violations of sanctions law. We have also assisted clients apply for licenses or exemptions from the relevant authorities, where appropriate.  We are also experienced in representing clients in regulatory investigations or enforcement actions related to potential breaches of sanctions regulations.

We help clients establish and maintain robust anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) compliance processes and systems, ensuring adherence to the Money Laundering Regulations and related legislation.  We also regularly advise clients on complex AML issues around onboarding or returning funds to clients.