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.

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23 February 2026
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FSLA Event: Gender Equality in Financial Services, Law and Beyond

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

FSLA, Fox Williams and 3VB Seminar in support of IWD 2026

On behalf of the Financial Services Lawyers Association, we invite you to attend our inaugural IWD event. Join us for a fireside chat with the fantastic Mary Ann Sieghart, author of the highly acclaimed book “The Authority Gap”.  Mary Ann will explain the Authority Gap, why it exists and what can be done to resolve it. This will be followed by a panel discussion with leading lawyers from across the FS and legal community, exploring how these issues impact our industry and the challenges we continue to face in delivering on the ED&I agenda.  

Speakers: 

Guest Speaker:  Mary Ann Sieghart, author of “The Authority Gap”

Saima Hanif KC – Barrister at 3VB

Sona Ganatra – Partner, Co‑Head of Financial Services Regulatory at Fox Williams

Daniel Winterfeldt MBE KC – former General Counsel (EMEA and Asia), Jefferies and Founder and Co-Chair of the InterLaw Diversity Forum

Sarah Peazer-Davies – General Counsel & Company Secretary, Close Brothers

Date: Tuesday 24 March 2026

The discussion will be followed by a networking event which is open to all attendees. 

Registration: Places to attend this event will be limited, so please register early to avoid disappointment – if you would like to attend or if you have any queries or special requirements, please contact us at fslalondon@gmail.com

This is an in-person event only.

Registration will be open from 6pm, with the event starting at 6:30pm.

Venue: Fox Williams LLP

            10 Finsbury Square

            London EC2A 1AF

5 February 2026
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FSLA Essay Competition 2026

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FSLA Essay Competition 2026


The Financial Services Lawyers Association is pleased to announce its annual essay
competition.


The title for this year’s competition is:
“Streamlining regulation for international growth and innovation: a legal perspective.”


The purpose of the essay competition is to provide students, trainees, and pupil barristers with the opportunity to apply their studies to issues that are of particular relevance to the financial services industry and wider society.


Essays should be no longer than 1,500 words, and the deadline for entries is
midnight on 20 March 2026.


Prizes
The Chris Stallard Memorial (First) Prize: ÂŁ1,500 and a legal internship at the FCA
Second Prize: ÂŁ750 Third prize: ÂŁ500


We hope to present the prizes at FSLA’s summer social event.


Eligibility and rules
There is no requirement that entrants be FSLA members; however, free membership
is offered to all students. Please email fslalondon@gmail.com for further details.

The full rules for the competition, including submission details and terms applying to the
prizes, can be found here.

13 January 2026
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FSLA and Fountain Court Event: Individual Accountability: The regulator, the regime and the individual

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FSLA and Fountain Court panel discussion at Macfarlanes LLP on Tuesday 10 February 2026 at 6:30pm

On behalf of the Financial Services Lawyers Association and Fountain Court, we invite you to attend a panel event which seeks to explore regulators approach to Individual Accountability. The panel discussion will consider recent high-profile regulatory actions pursued against senior managers, the FCA’s long awaited Policy Statement which provides guidance on the Non-Financial Misconduct Rules and explore some of the practical challenges firms (and individuals) might face as we prepare for implementation from September 2026 (for non-banks). Chatham House Rule will apply.

The panel will be chaired by Zeena Saleh of Dentons and include (with more speakers still to be confirmed):

  • Peter Curtis-Valino, Cross-Cutting Policy, FCA. Peter leads the cross-cutting policy team at the FCA responsible for recent publications on non-financial misconduct and the Senior Managers & Certification Regime
  • Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC, Fountain Court – Leigh-Ann appeared on behalf of the FCA to secure a landmark victory in respect of non-financial misconduct in which the Upper Tribunal upheld the FCA’s decision to prohibit and fine the former CEO of Barclays, Jes Staley. Leigh-Ann is a leading silk and arbitrator specialising in insurance & reinsurance, financial services and group litigation.
  • Laura Bridgewater, Macfarlanes LLP– Laura regularly advises both senior executives and financial institutions on contentious matters relating to individual accountability (both financial misconduct and non-financial misconduct) and has particular expertise in parallel employment disputes.

The discussion will be followed by a networking event which is open to all attendees. 

The event will be hosted at Macfarlanes LLP at 20 Cursitor Street, London, EC4A 1LT.

If you would like to attend or if you have any queries or special requirements, please contact us at fslalondon@gmail.com

Timings:

Registration: 6pm

Panel discussion: 6:30pm

Drinks and networking reception: 7:30-9pm

Progress Your Career With FSLA

Financial Services Practitioners

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Junior Lawyers

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Students

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

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“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)