Linklaters LLP

Financial regulation

Martyn advises financial institutions on regulatory matters. Prior to returning to private practice in 2004 he spent over nine years working as a senior lawyer at the UK Financial Services Authority, latterly as Head of Department in the Enforcement Division. He has extensive experience advising investment banks, retail banks, insurers, asset managers and listed companies on regulatory compliance problems. He has advised on “crisis management” on discovery of major compliance failures,  conducted numerous internal investigations and represented clients in regulatory investigations, enforcement actions and related civil litigation across the financial services sector.

His client work has included some of the highest profile cases brought by the regulators over the past decade and has involved him regularly representing clients before regulators, tribunals and the higher courts (including applications for judicial review of regulators). He has extensive experience of managing multi-jurisdictional regulatory issues and investigations  touching Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific. Martyn also regularly advises clients on compliance risk management issues.

His areas of particular interest and experience include insider dealing and market manipulation, unauthorised trading incidents, corporate disclosure issues, governance and risk control in financial institutions, senior management responsibilities, management of conflicts of interest, suitability of financial products and portfolio management, financial promotions, fair treatment of customers and other conduct of business standards in respect of investment, banking and insurance products.

Martyn’s recent clients have included UBS, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Lloyds Banking Group, RBS, Santander, Bradford & Bingley, Zurich, Prudential, Capita Financial and a number of asset management firms.  Recent significant client matters on which he worked have included advising and representing UBS in relation to the Adoboli US$2.3billion unauthorised trading incident, representing UBS in the FSA’s Upper Tribunal proceedings against senior manager John Pottage and acting for the applicant in the judicial review of the FSA in R v FSA on the application of C. He has had a significant role advising clients on most of the major regulatory investigations and inquiries resulting from the banking crisis.

Government Legal Service 1992-95; UK Financial Services Authority 1995-2004; partner Herbert Smith, London 2004-13; partner Linklaters, London 2013 to date.

University of Oxford (1987-90 BA (Hons) Jurisprudence); Inns of Court School of Law (1990-91 Bar Vocational Course); Middle Temple (barrister Nov 1991); London School of Economics (1994-96 Master of Laws).