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

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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

Feb 05
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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.

Jan 13
0

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

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

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

Jan 06
0

FSLA Event: Growth and Innovation in Capital Markets

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On behalf of the Financial Services Lawyers Association, we invite you to attend a panel event which explores growth and innovation in capital markets. The Draghi Report underlines a negative prognosis for future growth across all European economies. That makes capital raising options more important than ever. Encouragingly the UK regulators offer a range of pioneering ways forward, including sandboxes, PISCES (platforms for trading private company shares), and scale up units.

Under Chatham House rules a distinguished panel of investment bank, trading platform providers, FCA, and PRA directors will briefly summarise then discuss these initiatives. The discussion will be followed by a networking event which is open to all attendees.

Location: Slaughter and May, One Bunhill Row, London, EC1Y 8YY

Registration: Places to attend this event will be limited to 60, so please register early to avoid disappointment.

Date: Thursday 5th February 2026

Timings:

Registration: 6 – 6:30pm

Discussion: 6:30 – 7:30pm

Drinks: 7:30 – 8:30pm


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

Event access / security: Upon arrival, please check-in with the reception who will direct you to our event space. Please note that all visitors will be required to present government issued photo identification.

Jan 05
0

FSLA, Pinsent Masons and 3VB Event: Supervisory Powers in the FCA and the Upper Tribunal

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We are pleased to announce a semniar hosted by FSLA, Pinsent Masons and 3VB: Supervisory Powers in the FCA and the Upper Tribunal.

A panel of expert speakers from 3VB, Pinsent Masons and the FCA will present a panel discussion on the FCA’s focus on assertive supervision, including the range of supervisory powers available to the FCA and what firms can do to challenge supervisory interventions in the Upper Tribunal.
 
Speakers:
Saima Hanif KC â€“ Barrister at 3VB
Jonathan Cavill â€“ Partner at Pinsent Masons
Lauren Rafter â€“ Head of Litigation and Legal Review at the FCA
Adam Temple â€“ Barrister at 3VB
 
Date: Tuesday 20th January 2026
 
Venue: Pinsent Masons, 30 Crown Place, Earl Street, London, EC2A 4ES
 
Timings:

18:00 – 18:30Registration
18:30 – 19:45Session followed by Q&A
19:45 – 20:45Drinks & Networking

 
If you wish to attend the event or have any queries or special requirements, please contact events@3vb.com

Sep 05
0

FSLA Academy Event – Market Abuse and Associated FCA Investigations

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On behalf of the Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA) and Brown Rudnick, we invite you to attend a FSLA Academy series of training sessions on â€śMarket abuse and associated FCA investigations”.

The series will provide a detailed but practical guide to the various criminal and civil market abuse offences. It will consider the elements of the various offences (e.g. insider dealing, unlawful disclosure of inside information and market manipulation), the compliance considerations that the regime raises for firms and individuals (e.g. the circumstances in which information needs to be disclosed to the market and who inside information can be shared with) and how market abuse investigations differ from other FCA investigations (e.g. the potential for dual-track investigations and the restrictions around the use of compelled evidence).

The series will consist of three sessions:

  1. Insider dealing
  2. Unlawful disclosure and market manipulation
  3. FCA investigations into market abuse

The sessions will be led by members of Brown Rudnick’s Contentious Financial Services Team accompanied by a different barrister, in-house practitioner or regulator for each session.

The series is open to all but specifically targeted at practitioners with fewer than seven years dedicated contentious regulatory experience. It is therefore also suitable for those practitioners who are more than seven years PQE / call but who do not exclusively focus on contentious regulatory work.

Each session will be followed by drinks and canapés, providing an opportunity to network.

Location

The sessions will take place at Brown Rudnick’s offices (8 Clifford St, London W1S 2LQ).

Dates

  1. Tuesday 30 September – Session 1: Insider dealing
  2. Tuesday 21 October – Session 2: Unlawful disclosure and market manipulation
  3. Tuesday 11 November – Session 3: FCA investigations into market abuse


Timings

For each session, registration will be open from 6.00pm and the session will start at 6:30pm, followed by drinks and canapés.

If you wish to attend one or more of the sessions, or have any queries or special requirements, please contact us at fslalondon@gmail.com.

Aug 11
0

The Road Less Travelled: Navigating the Upper Tribunal – A FSLA Academy and Mishcon de Reya Event

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A FSLA Academy and Mishcon de Reya in-person panel event to discuss how to navigate references to the Upper Tribunal

On behalf of the Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA) and Mishcon de Reya, we would like to invite you to attend our in-person event on references to the Upper Tribunal to be held on Wednesday, 3 September 2025 at Mishcon de Reya, Africa House, 70 Kingsway, WC2B 6AH.

The 1-hour event will provide attendees with a practical understanding of how to navigate references to the Upper Tribunal, including process and procedure, insights from the front line and lessons from recent Upper Tribunal cases. The event will be followed by a Q&A.

The panel event will feature the following speakers:

  • Guy Wilkes, Partner and Head of the Financial Services Investigations and Enforcement practice at Mishcon de Reya
  • Elizabeth Hope, Managing Associate at Mishcon de Reya
  • Farhaz Khan KC, 3 Verulam Buildings
  • Ava Mayer, Blackstone Chambers

Registration will open at 5.45pm, with the panel starting at 6.15pm, followed by drinks and canapés at 7.30pm.
The event is open to all but specifically targeted at practitioners with fewer than seven years dedicated contentious regulatory experience. It is therefore also suitable for those practitioners who are more than seven years PQE / call but who do not exclusively focus on contentious regulatory work.

We look forward to seeing you on 3 September 2025. If you have any queries or special requirements, please email Shirley.Layne@Mishcon.com.

Venue: Mishcon de Reya, Africa House, 70 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6AH

Date: Wednesday 3 September 2025

Time: 5.45pm – Registration
          6.15pm – Introduction, panel discussion and Q&A
          7.30pm – Drinks 

If you are interested in attending, please contact us at fslalondon@gmail.com

May 14
0

Annual General Meeting 2025

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Online on 29 May 2025 at 09:30

We invite you to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Financial Services Lawyers Association, which will take place online on 29 May 2025 at 09:30. 

If you are a member who wishes to attend please contact treasurer@fsla.org.uk.

All members are welcome to attend. The agenda is set out below.

Agenda

  1. Report of the FSLA Executive Committee
  2. Secretary’s Report (Oliver Assersohn KC)
  3. Treasurer’s Report (Henry Reid)
  4. Pro-bono
  5. FSLA events and activities
  6. Executive Committee elections 2025
  7. Any other business
Mar 31
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.

Feb 24
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.