Financial Services
We have expert knowledge of law and regulation in the financial services sector. We support clients with balancing commercial objectives alongside the regulatory framework by providing pragmatic advice on compliance obligations.
Where controversies arise, we help resolve disputes and contentious regulatory issues, including: business critical disputes; internal and regulatory investigations; complex consumer redress; and financial crime.
Audit, Accountancy and Corporate Reporting
We are highly experienced at helping accountants, auditors, businesses and their directors navigate their way through the complex web of regulatory and civil issues which arise from audit and financial reporting controversies.
Pensions Regulatory
Our team are market leaders with exceptional experience in pensions regulatory matters relating to schemes of all sizes. With a broad range of regulatory experience, we have recognised strength and depth in the field. Our regulatory experts include Clive Pugh who spent five years at the Pensions Regulator.
Areas of focus
Our expertise in financial and professional investigations includes:
Financial Services
- Civil Disputes: We are experts at managing the disputes process, with a wealth of experience in litigation, arbitration, mediation and ADR.
- Investigations: We conduct internal investigations and advise on regulator led investigations on a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues.
- Enforcement Proceedings: We represent clients in enforcement and disciplinary proceedings by the FCA and PRA.
- Consumer Redress: We advise clients on complex and high value consumer redress issues, typically where there are systemic issues giving rise to mass complaints, FOS claims and test case litigation.
- Financial Crime: We advise on the full range of financial crime issues affecting financial institutions, including AML, bribery and corruption and fraud. We are highly experienced at advising on overlapping criminal investigations by the SFO and NCA.
Audit, Accountancy and Corporate Reporting
- Civil Disputes: We are highly experienced at advising clients on civil disputes in this sphere, including claims relating to defective audits, negligent due diligence and accountancy advice and tax negligent tax advice.
- Investigations: We support clients through investigations and enforcement actions taken by the FRC, ICAEW and other professional bodies. We have acted on a number of high profile FRC investigations under the AEP, including two matters where, after a lengthy investigation, the FRC took no enforcement action.
Pensions Regulatory
- Regulatory investigations: Our detailed knowledge includes extensive work on the regulatory investigations of Silentnight, Brunel and Great Lakes. We also advised on the Bernard Matthews and N W Brown investigations.
- Clearance applications: We support our clients in taking forward successful clearance applications which are acceptable to the Pensions Regulator.
- Scheme funding: We work with clients to support successful pension funding negotiations in compliance with scheme specific funding regimes. We regularly work with clients on apportionment solutions and on managed PPF entry (“drop-ins”) by way of regulated apportionment arrangements and PPF compromises of scheme deficits.
- Regulator’s powers: Our experience is wide ranging and includes acting on the first ever Contribution Notice, Desmonds.