Business Legal Services

Financial Services Regulation

Our financial services lawyers will help you strategically navigate the evolving and complex financial services regulatory environment.

Regulation is increasingly complex and can place significant burdens and restrictions on how regulated financial institutions and unregulated firms may operate. Our experienced team advise and support entrepreneurs, business owners, senior management, in-house legal teams, compliance functions and front-line businesses to help navigate through the regulations to meet their objectives and mitigate risk.

We’ll help you create a business plan, set-up your business, develop and enhance your regulatory frameworks and control environments along with supporting your interactions with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), including with regulator teams in Authorisations, Supervision and Enforcement.

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What we do

Financial services solicitors

Our financial services lawyers can assist you with your requirements and walk you through what is needed whether you are applying for authorisation, drafting customer agreements or buying or selling a regulated business or providing unregulated financial services on the perimeter of regulated activity. Some of the typical areas we would help your business with include:

  • Banking and finance
  • Payment services and electronic money issuance
  • Consumer credit and hire
  • Securities services, including transactional and regulatory advice
  • Applications to the FCA for authorisation, variation of permission and Appointed Representatives
  • The FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime
  • Dealing with regulators including reporting, notifications responding to requests and enforcement
  • Perimeter guidance on regulated and unregulated activities
  • Financial promotions
  • Outsourcing agreements and FCA, PRA and EBA guidance
  • Anti-Money Laundering
  • Bribery Act requirements
  • Data protection requirements

If you are looking to buy or sell a regulated business, our finance solicitors will also work closely with our corporate and commercial teams to cover all aspects of your deal, so legal work is seamless for your entire transaction.

Testimonials

What our clients say

Our on-demand relationship with Harper James allows our in-house counsel instant access to specialist support. We relied on their valued guidance to get us through the acquisition process with accuracy and confidence.
Alison Conway Senior Advisor, Trust Payments
Speed of turnaround and clear advice
Ian Rose Head of Networks, AllStar Business Solutions
Experience of your team and how they make it simple to understand the options and what is required. Value for money.
Paul Smith COO, Incuto
As a young and growing fintech company, there have been a number of legal matters that we have needed to manage; such as client contracts, employment contracts and fund raising from investors. We’ve used Harper James for around a year and they have provided us with very valuable support through several lenses, not least in our funding round in late 2017, where we raised £1million and Harper James managed the legal side of the transaction. We recommend them without hesitation.
Gareth Morgan Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, Delio
Our on-demand relationship with Harper James allows our in-house counsel instant access to specialist support. We relied on their valued guidance to get us through the acquisition process with accuracy and confidence.
Alison Conway Senior Advisor, Trust Payments
Speed of turnaround and clear advice
Ian Rose Head of Networks, AllStar Business Solutions
Experience of your team and how they make it simple to understand the options and what is required. Value for money.
Paul Smith COO, Incuto
As a young and growing fintech company, there have been a number of legal matters that we have needed to manage; such as client contracts, employment contracts and fund raising from investors. We’ve used Harper James for around a year and they have provided us with very valuable support through several lenses, not least in our funding round in late 2017, where we raised £1million and Harper James managed the legal side of the transaction. We recommend them without hesitation.
Gareth Morgan Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, Delio

Who we help

From Fintech start-ups to financial institutions

We regularly give expert legal advice on financial services legislation to a wide range of clients and financial institutions including:

  • Entrepreneurs and disruptors
  • Early stage companies looking to brainstorm a business plan involving financial services
  • Payment service providers (payment institutions, electronic money institutions, banks)
  • Consumer credit firms (from small retailers to banks)
  • Consumer hire firms
  • Lenders
  • Fintech and regtech firms
  • Investment firms, managers and funds
  • Banks
  • Asset and wealth management (firms and managers)
  • Finance companies
  • Overseas entities looking to enter the UK market
  • Entities looking to provide a regulated/unregulated financial service
  • Companies planning to provide financial services, digital assets, or crypto assets
  • Entities looking to partner with banks and institutions regulated by the FCA or the PRA

Meet our team

Why choose our financial services regulation solicitors?

Our financial services solicitors have all been recruited from top 100 UK law firms, the FCA or from large international businesses. Having worked in financial services businesses and provided thought leadership to industry bodies our team have advised businesses across the spectrum from innovative start-ups and fintechs, to banks and insurance intermediaries.

We take a holistic approach to ensure advice is joined up with our colleagues in commercial, corporate, IP and technology.

Find out more about our financial services solicitors here:


Complete solutions

Experts in financial services regulation

Our team can assist you across all areas of financial services, including:


Pricing plans

Legal support designed
to fit your business needs

Our three transparent pricing packages are designed to give you the widest possible access to high-quality legal advice, whatever the size and nature of your business:

City

Straightforward access to senior solicitors at a competitive rate.

An affordable solution for businesses needing one-off legal support. Receive ‘City’ partner-level expertise at a fraction of ‘City’ prices.

On-Demand

Providing you with priority access to a dedicated panel of highly experienced solicitors.

Fully account managed quarterly subscription service for businesses with more complex legal needs.




What next?

Please leave us your details and we’ll contact you to discuss your situation and legal requirements. There’s no charge for your initial consultation, and no-obligation to instruct us. We aim to respond to all messages received within 24 hours.

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Our offices

A national law firm

A national law firm

Our commercial lawyers are based in or close to major cities across the UK, providing expert legal advice to clients both locally and nationally.

We mainly work remotely, so we can work with you wherever you are. But we can arrange face-to-face meeting at our offices or a location of your choosing.

Floor 5, Cavendish House, 39-41 Waterloo Street, Birmingham, B2 5PP
Stirling House, Cambridge Innovation Park, Denny End Road, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9QE
13th Floor, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, M1 4BT
10 Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 5HP
Harwell Innovation Centre, 173 Curie Avenue, Harwell, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QG
1st Floor, Dearing House, 1 Young St, Sheffield, S1 4UP
A national law firm

To access legal support from just £145 per hour arrange your no-obligation initial consultation to discuss your business requirements.

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