The practice was established in 2003 to provide specialist financial services regulatory advice that also takes account of clients’ strategic objectives. No details are given of clients or of work carried out but the examples set out below give a flavour of assignments that have been undertaken.
- Advising applicant banks and other financial institutions in connection with authorisation applications and design of the business, products, governance and operational infrastructure.
- Advising banks and other financial institutions on changes to the business, including strategy and planning, presentation of proposals to the regulators and variation of permissions applications.
- Advising potential purchasers of banks and other financial institutions on change in control applications, dealings with regulators and future plans for the target business.
- Acting for financial institutions where one or both UK financial services regulators were seeking governance changes within the organisation, including in circumstances where a s166 skilled person report had been required.
- Acting for financial institutions facing difficulties in their relationship with one or both regulators, including in cases of financial difficulty, and providing advice to CEOs and Chairs of Boards navigating issues for financial services firms and wider groups.
- Preparing CEOs, CROs, Chairs of Board and Audit and Risk Committees, CFOs, CCOs and MLROs for approved persons and senior manager interviews.
I graduated from Jesus College, Oxford, in 1984 with a degree in Modern History and qualified as a solicitor in 1988. I became a partner in Cameron Markby Hewitt (a predecessor firm of CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang) in 1995 and headed the Capital Markets and Regulatory Group from 1998 until leaving the firm in 2001. I was then a partner in the firm of Tite & Lewis (associated with Ernst & Young) until the end of 2002, setting up the current practice at the beginning of 2003.