Helping businesses and individuals in the financial sector respond rapidly to market changes.
The financial sector has maintained its position as a key, consistent driver of the UK economy. However, it is undoubtedly undergoing a period of significant transformation, influenced by changing consumer behaviour, accelerating technological developments and an increasingly complex regulatory framework. Now more than ever, your business needs to work with a legal team with a deep understanding of the changing financial markets which can provide you with practical, incisive guidance.
Now over ten years on from the financial crisis, financial services organisations remain under an intense regulatory and media spotlight. The perceptible shift in focus towards transparency and personal accountability has correlated with a growing number of investigations by regulators and claims from customers on the grounds of financial mis-selling. Although financial services organisations face substantial challenges when it comes to staying ahead of the evolving landscape, this rigorous regulatory environment also provides an opportunity for businesses to engender trust with their clients and achieve a competitive advantage.
Our multi-disciplinary team provides a seamless service to businesses and individuals operating in the financial sector. Our work ranges from corporate finance, lending, and restructuring, to funding, regulation, high-value banking litigation and complex claims against financial institutions.
We devise innovative strategies to support you in responding rapidly to market changes and driving your business forward. With complete awareness of the workings of your business and an excellent insight into the intricacies of financial markets, we are committed to providing you with proactive, tailored and fundamentally commercial solutions.
Services for brokers
Wide-ranging legal and regulatory guidance to help Broker Dealers, including stockbrokers, interdealer brokers, FX, CFD, crypto and commodities brokers deal with regulation and legal risk and documentation.
In the UK, activities of Brokers are tightly regulated by the UK FCA and FSMA and EU regulations grandfathered into local law. environment. From the way you document derivatives trades to the way you communicate potential investment opportunities, everything is tightly controlled by several rules that affect how you do business. At the same time, customers and counterparties are increasingly litigious. Disputes around misselling are becoming more commonplace, and allegations of misconduct can result in liability more readily than in the past.
We help our clients understand what is permitted and what they can and cannot do.
Pragmatic solutions from a specialist team
Our broker practice is partner-led and supported by specialist lawyers with extensive hands-on experience gained working in brokerage and capital markets. We can advise advising brokers on a wide range of issues, covering regulation, deal documentation, employment and litigation.
While other lawyers may overcomplicate the legal and regulatory framework, we focus on what’s important. We aim to handle every matter pragmatically, providing concrete solutions for our broker clients, based on our real world experience of working not just in law firms but for investment banks and brokers.
Select areas of expertise
We offer a full spectrum of services for brokers who trade in equities, debt, currency, commodities, contracts for difference, cryptocurrencies and derivatives.
- Regulatory and compliance: We assist with all aspects of regulation and compliance including perimeter guidance, financial promotions and the FCA Handbook.
- Documenting Transactions: Additionally, we advise on terms of business, introducing broker agreements, appointed representative agreements as well as derivatives master agreements (ISDA, GMRA, MSLA etc).
- Disputes: Our seasoned dispute resolution team handles the most significant matters facing financial brokers including claims for misselling, professional negligence and contractual disputes. We also assist with regulatory investigations.
- Employment law and general business: We can help you set up brokerage documentation, employment contracts and compliance policies, as well as manage everyday employment issues, internal investigations and disciplinary proceedings. We also conduct employment tribunal hearings and settlement negotiations.
- Data privacy: FCA-regulated brokers have a duty to be responsible when handling client data and control their activities through adequate risk-management systems. Our specialists in data privacy law can help you build GDPR-compliant practices and respond appropriately to any breach.
Islamic finance
Our financial services team has experience in drafting and negotiating master purchase and sale agreements for Islamic finance products, including commodity based Murabaha trades and Sukuk bonds, negotiating with a number of Middle Eastern Banks in the process.
On the disputes side, we have been instructed by a number of state-owned Middle Eastern banks over the years on various financial and commercial dispute matters. As such we are aware and very familiar with the business and other cultural issues involved in acting both for and against clients in the Arab world.
Stephen Rosen
