Regulatory Disputes

• FCA statutory redress scheme
  Advising on the largest FCA-approved statutory redress scheme involving some 2 million customers.
• Section 166 skilled person reports
  Acting for financial services clients in respect of skilled person reports under s.166 of FSMA, including in relation to the sector’s largest s.166 investigation to date into culture and governance, for one of the country’s most prestigious financial institutions.
• Representing a quasi-public body in post-Brexit litigation regarding the ongoing status of a critical Directive
  Co-ordinating the client's response to a first-instance judgment in the Italian Courts, in one of the few, significant regulatory disputes to have reached the Courts post Brexit.
• Sovereign States, Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates
  Representing in respect of regulatory disputes and queries in the UK, including on questions regarding state and diplomatic immunity.
• A leading international financial institution
  Acting in the largest exercise in resolving FOS complaints.
• An asset manager
  Acting in connection with claims/complaints intimated by former investors in an Unregulated Collective Investment Scheme.
• Investigation – accounting and audit
  Acting as monitoring counsel in relation to many of the most significant international regulatory investigations concerning accounting and audit matters.
• Sanctions dispute – foreign bank
  Acting for a bank client in relation to a dispute regarding the enforceability of a contract when a party to that contract was designed by the UK and EU authorities.
• CEO of an Indonesian bank's Hong Kong office
  Representing an individual following a 2022 Immigration Department raid on her office and residence, defending against serious allegations including employment of unlawful workers, false declarations, and breaches of stay conditions.
• Crypto service providers
  Acting for a range of international crypto service providers, related companies and individuals in respect of issues arising from enforcement investigations conducted by UAE regulators.
• Tchenguiz litigation
  Acting in the Tchenguiz litigation, which produced some 40 reported decisions, and is a landmark case on the law of investigations, the powers of investigatory and regulatory authorities, and dawn raids.

• A senior bond trader
  Acting in an investigation for market abuse by the FCA. It represents one of the longest-running FCA enforcement matters of which we are aware. The case was one of a very small number of market abuses cases to be tried in court in the UK (Upper Tribunal: February 2025).
• A former member of the Executive Board of Bank Julius Baer
  Acting to vindicate the individual and to protect their interests in the contentious regulatory context, following on from achieving for our client in the Bank Julius Baer/FCA matter the most significant victory in recent times against the FCA.
• FX Spot Fix manipulation investigation
  Acting for a senior individual, who is one of a group of key individuals, in relation to the very high-profile Reuters FX Spot Fix manipulation investigations conducted by the United States Department of Justice (US DoJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations in conjunction with the United Kingdom FCA and SFO.
• SFO investigation
  Acting for several years for a former senior legal adviser at a global bank in respect of one of the most prominent SFO investigations of recent times, namely that conducted into allegations of bribery and fraud by a global bank arising from the financial crisis in 2008.
• Section 166 skilled person review
  Acting for the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of a major bank international bank in connection with a Section 166 Skilled Person investigation and a complex Attestation to be provided by the CRO to the PRA regarding ongoing issues with the operation of the Bank's Credit Policy.
  
  Acting for a former General Counsel who was interviewed at length by the SFO as part of a criminal investigation into suspected offences of bribery and corruption relating to our client’s former employer (now dissolved).
• FCA enforcement proceedings
  Advising two of the most senior people on the Board of a major global financial institution in relation to publicly high profile FCA enforcement proceedings.

In an already competitive global environment, an ever-changing regulatory landscape creates additional challenges for financial services firms. We are experts in guiding clients through their regulatory obligations in a practical and commercially-oriented way, providing bespoke technical advice on complex legal and regulatory issues.

Our team of experts help clients navigate the complexities of financial regulation such as anti-money laundering, sanctions and anti-bribery and corruption matters.

View our Financial Services Regulation service page for more information on how we can help.