Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA)

An association for financial services lawyers, regulators, academics, judges
and policy experts to share ideas about financial services law
and regulation and to socialise with peers.

Upcoming Events
Not A Member?

Latest News & Events

31 March 2025
0

Lord Eatwell: Visions for the Future of Financial Regulation – from the Practical to the Romantic

By | Events, Financial Services Practitioners, Junior Lawyers | No Comments

6:00pm on Wednesday, 7 May 2025 hosted by Reed Smith

On behalf of the Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA) and Reed Smith, we would like to invite you to attend this fireside chat and reception with Lord John Eatwell on Wednesday, 7 May 2025 at Reed Smith, 1 Blossom Yard E1 6RS.
 
Join us for this in-person event, where Lord Eatwell will share key insights from his vast expertise in financial services regulation, including his concerns for the present and visions for the future.
 
Lord Eatwell is a British economist, academic, and public policy expert with extensive experience in financial services regulation. Educated at Queens’ College, Cambridge, and later earning his PhD from Harvard University, Lord Eatwell has had a career spanning academia, politics, and public service. He has held key academic positions, including serving as a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and as a lecturer in the Faculty of Economics and Politics. From 1997 to 2020, he was President of Queens’ College, Cambridge, and he holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Financial Policy at the Cambridge Judge Business School.
 
Beyond academia, Lord Eatwell has played a significant role in shaping economic policy. From 1985 to 1992, he was economic advisor to Neil Kinnock, then Leader of the Labour Party, before being appointed a life peer in the House of Lords in 1992. He has since held key roles, including Principal Opposition Spokesman on Treasury and Economic Affairs and been a member of influential committees such as the Lords Industry and Regulators Committee. He currently sits on the Financial Services Regulation Committee.
 
Lord Eatwell has contributed significantly to financial regulation, previously sitting on the Board of the Securities and Futures Authority and the Regulatory Decisions Committee of the Financial Services Authority. He was also Chairman of the Jersey Financial Services Commission.
 
His influence extends beyond finance and policy. He has served as Chair of CRUSAID, an HIV/AIDS charity, and both the Royal Opera House and British Library Boards. With his experience in economics, regulation, and public service, Lord Eatwell is a highly esteemed voice in financial and policy discussions.
 
Registration will open at 6:00pm, with the discussion starting at 6:30pm, followed by Q&A and drinks.
 
Please note that attendance at this event is for FSLA Members only. If you wish to become a member of FSLA to attend, please contact fslalondon@gmail.com.
 
If you have any queries or special requirements, please contact events@fsla.org.uk.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 7 May.

24 February 2025
0

FSLA Response to FCA CP24/2 Part 2

By | Financial Services Practitioners | No Comments

FSLA’s response may be found here.

FSLA has submitted a response to the FCA’s Consultation Paper CP24/2 Part 2 titled “Greater transparency of our enforcement investigations”, following on from our response to the initial Consultation Paper, which may be found here.

Despite some of the proposed amendments detailed in CP24/2 Part 2, FSLA remains of the view that the Publication Policy goes further than what is necessary, legitimate and proportionate to achieve the FCA’s stated objectives of transparency, consumer protection and the delivery of a more streamlined and effective Enforcement process. We contend that the FCA’s objectives could be achieved through existing regulatory tools and a more balanced approach, including a cost-benefit analysis and further consultation before implementing such a fundamental policy change

Our response examines the aims and objectives of the FCA, the process and safeguards of the Publication Policy, the case studies detailed by the FCA in CP24/2 Part 2, the potential implications for individuals of the Publication Policy and the possible next steps.

FSLA was pleased to see our evidence referred to in the House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee’s report into the FCA’s CP24/2 consultation, titled “Naming and shaming: how not to regulate”, a link to which may be found here.

Please note: The response is submitted on behalf of FSLA and is intended to capture the overall weight of contributions received from its membership, but the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this response belong to the individual authors of this paper (and not, for example, the author’s employer, chambers, organisation, committee, or other group or individual members of FSLA). For the avoidance of doubt, this paper does not contain the views of, or purport to make any representations on behalf of, any FSLA members who are employed by the FCA, the Bank of England (including the Prudential Regulation Authority) or any other regulatory bodies.

18 February 2025
0

Pathways into Financial Services and Regulatory Law

By | Events, Financial Services Practitioners, Junior Lawyers, Students | No Comments

Tuesday, 25th March from 6pm – non-members welcome

On behalf of the Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, we would like to invite you to attend the “Pathways into Financial Services and Regulatory Law” panel discussion and networking on Tuesday, 25th March, starting at 6pm.

The event will be hosted at the City of London Law School with a panel discussion chaired by Saima Hanif KC of 3 Verulam Buildings, a leading financial services silk. The event will feature panellists with a range of experiences, including:

  • Aleja Isip – Legal Counsel at the Financial Ombudsman Service. Aleja currently works for the Financial Ombudsman Service, within the Legal and Jurisdiction team. Aleja previously worked as a Lawyer at the Financial Conduct Authority, in its Enforcement and Market Oversight division. Admitted as a solicitor in 2022, Aleja was one of the first cohort to qualify via the SQE route. Aleja has had various roles in private practice and in-house where she gained Qualifying Work Experience, which included areas of professional discipline, healthcare, and insurance.
  • Thomas Cave – Solicitor Apprentice at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang (second year). Tom is currently working within the Financial Services Litigation team. After completing A-levels at a state school in North Yorkshire, Tom opted for a gap year, during which he discovered the solicitor apprenticeship route as an alternative to traditional university education. This decision has allowed Tom to gain invaluable hands-on experience in the legal field while continuing his studies and progressing towards qualification.
  • Holly Girven – Barrister at Farrar’s Building. Holly is a barrister specialising in regulatory and personal injury law at Farrar’s Building. She is a manual wheelchair user and has first-hand experience of the importance of improving access to the legal profession for disabled people. She has previously spoken on Radio 4’s Law in Action and various podcasts about her experiences as a disabled barrister.
  • Dr Rohan Clarke – Pupil Barrister at CANDEY. Rohan is a former Jamaican diplomat who started his pupillage in September 2024. During his pupillage, he has undertaken a variety of work in sanctions advisory, insolvency and offshore and general commercial litigation. In addition to being a former diplomat, Rohan is an international consultant on illicit finance, a Fellow at Yale University’s Global Justice Program and a member of the organising Secretariat of the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime.

During the panel discussion, our speakers will discuss their experiences and journeys into financial services and regulatory law. There will be ample time for questions at the end.

Please register to ensure that you have a space – we are expecting this event to be extremely popular, please contact events@fsla.org.uk if you would like to attend.

Following the panel discussion, we invite you to join us for a networking session with refreshments.

Registration will open at 6pm, with the panel starting at 6.30pm, followed by networking drinks from 8pm to 9pm.

Venue: City of London Law School, Faculty of Law, Northampton Square, Sebastian Street, London EC1V OHB

Due to the nature of the event, we are delighted to be able to invite non-members and members alike.

FSLA membership is free for students – for more details please email fslalondon@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Progress Your Career With FSLA

Financial Services Practitioners

Find out about work and social events, our social mobility and pro bono schemes, and more.

More about Practitioners

Junior Lawyers

Click here for information about events for junior financial services lawyers.

More about Junior Lawyers

Students

Find out about the annual essay competition and our student focused events.

More about students

“In the end, our financial system only works – our market is only free – when there are clear rules and basic safeguards that prevent abuse, that check excess, that ensure that it is more profitable to play by the rules than to game the system. And that’s what these reforms are designed to achieve – no more, no less. Because that’s how we will ensure that our economy works for consumers, that it works for investors, that it works for financial institutions – that it works for all of us.”

(Barack Obama, at the signing of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act)