Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has its roots in the financial institutions sector. Having started as an adviser to the Bank of England in the 18th century, the firm remains committed to providing the highest quality legal advice to its financial institution clients across our geographic borders and practice areas.

Our financial institutions group (FIG) invests in developing the specialist industry knowledge of our people, allowing them to combine their legal skills with a genuine understanding of the markets in which our clients operate. With some 400 lawyers, including 250 partners, participating in the group, our FIG practice is recognised as a market leader in many countries. The expertise of our FIG lawyers was recognised at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyer Awards 2009, with our work during the financial crisis for the German government and the Bank of England, on various capital raisings by banks and Deutsche Börse, and for Nomura on the implementation and integration of Lehman Brothers EMEA businesses being recognised as either standout or highly commended.

This demonstrates that we are able to provide our clients with integrated and established multi-jurisdictional teams who have the precise blend of expertise and experience for the job in hand. We advise our financial institutions clients both on their own account matters as well as in relation to the products and services they sell to their customers. The range of work we do for them includes:

  • M&A, public and private;
  • joint ventures and corporate restructurings;
  • regulatory and compliance, regulatory investigations and other disputes;
  • debt and equity capital markets, both for clients in terms of their own balance sheet management and as issuers, but also as underwriters, lead managers or selling shareholders;
  • structured, leverage and asset financing;
  • antitrust;
  • outsourcing;
  • data protection;
  • employment and benefits; and
  • tax advisory.

We have worked on many of the largest and most groundbreaking projects in the financial institutions sector and count many of the sector’s leading organisations as clients. Within FIG, we focus on:

In addition, we have dedicated teams dealing with financial services non-contentious regulatory and contentious regulatory matters and capital markets transactions.

Please select the links in the left-hand column or links above for more detailed descriptions of the type of work we do in each of these areas.

For more information please contact Jeremy Barton, business development manager.

The bank of the future

  • Tracking the international, European and local initiatives for reform that will shape "the bank of the future"
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News

Freshfields completes landmark first English scheme of arrangement for a Spanish company - La Seda de Barcelona, S.A. View

Fewer corporate insolvencies but company voluntary arrangements rise by almost 50% and real estate and construction account for more than half of larger cases View

Briefings

The new structure for UK financial regulation  View

New usury rates and business opportunities for banks  View

Awards

Regulatory team of the year - JUVE Awards (2009)

Insurance team of the year - Legal Business Awards (2009)

View all awards

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