With ‘talent in every aspect of professional regulation and discipline’, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP acts for leading professional bodies, as well as firms and individuals, in relation to disciplinary investigations and proceedings. Recent work for the team predominantly involved large-scale financial, accountancy and legal sector-related disciplinary cases. Clients also notably benefit from the team’s leveraging of the firm’s public law expertise. The department is co-led by William Glassey, a ’top name in the market’, who acts for professional firms and individual professionals in regulatory investigations and disciplinary actions; and ‘superb lawyer’ Andrew Lidbetter, whose experience covers prosecuting, defending and advising adjudication committees on disciplinary cases, in addition to revising disciplinary schemes. Also key to the group, Nusrat Zar represents accountancy regulators, such as the Financial Reporting Council, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants; Antonia Pegden’s wide-ranging practice encompasses professional discipline work; and Henry Saunders is a ‘star of the future’.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Hugely experienced and well-resourced team.’
‘The team is very strong in this area.’
‘They have a wealth of in-house knowledge and experience, with talent in every aspect of professional regulation and discipline.’
‘Their client-facing skills are enhanced by their own in-house regulatory and disciplinary team, which must be about the very best of the City law firms.’
‘Andrew Lidbetter is a superb lawyer.’
‘Will Glassey and Henry Saunders are both excellent. Very hard-working and with great experience in this area.’
‘Will Glassey - top name in the market, experienced, calm, and tenacious.’
- ‘Henry Saunders - a star of the future, fantastic drafting skills, and very incisive.’
Work highlights
- Assisting a former senior equity law partner, in relation to an SRA investigation and subsequent SDT proceedings against him and his law firm, which concerned alleged breaches of money laundering regulations.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Will Glassey, Andrew Lidbetter