Legal

Martin Finnegan is Chief Commercial Officer of Punter Southall Law. Martin has spent his entire career advising corporate clients – both publicly listed and private owner-managed, from start-up to FTSE 250 – and was formerly a partner with Nabarro LLP (now part of international law firm CMS) where he co-chaired the Equity Capital Markets Group and prior to that was Head of Capital Markets at McGrigors (now part of international law firm Pinsent Masons). Martin founded and ran a corporate boutique which he successfully led for 9 years.

Martin joined Punter Southall Law in 2020 in its first wave of recruitment of partners from leading City firms to its uniquely positioned platform, the only platform law firm to have the backing of a large financial service group, driving opportunities for its lawyers and clients.

Martin is also a non-executive director of Tower Trading Group (TTG), a City based proprietary trading group supporting over 200 professional traders across the globe, trading multiple derivatives markets. Martin has overseen TTG's legal function -in an outsourced general counsel capacity- since 2012 managing a range of complex legal issues and instructing law firms domestically and internationally in seeking to deliver the best legal outcomes for TTG.

Email: Martin.Finnegan@puntersouthall.law

Mobile: 07974 726875

Simon is the Managing Director of Punter Southall Law and has 40 years’ experience of dispute resolution in the UK, USA and numerous offshore financial centres (including Jersey, Guernsey, the Caymans, BVI and Hong Kong) from his time as a Partner in Fladgate LLP and laterly Kobre & Kim LLP. Simon has focused on litigation, arbitration and mediation in the fields of financial products and services, trusts and private wealth, joint ventures, shareholder and partnership disputes, matrimonial property and finance, commercial property investment, aviation finance and litigation funding.

Admitted as Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales 1981
Admitted as a Solicitor of The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (BVI) 2016

Email: Simon.cullingworth@puntersouthall.law

Mobile: 07879 974435

Nick Holt is Director of Development at Punter Southall Law. Nick has more than 35 years' experience of the international legal services market. A corporate lawyer by background, Nick was a founding partner of the London office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a leading US law firm, and was then the Managing Partner of KLegal, the law firm associated with KPMG. Nick then built a second career as a highly respected headhunter specialising in lateral partner recruitment for some of the world's major law firms, before joining Punter Southall Law. Nick is also a Meyler Campbell trained business coach. Admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales (1982) and in Hong Kong (1984) (both non-practising).

Email: Nick.Holt@puntersouthall.law

Mobile: 07802 885363

Patti is the Finance Officer at Punter Southall Law and works with the wider Group’s finance team to ensure efficient and compliant operations.

Patti’s skills in this role have been well-served by her professional background and qualifications. Patti began her working life in marketing before obtaining a degree in Psychology from MMU and then moving to the education sector. However since 2009, Patti has worked in the legal sector.

Outside of her formal degree, Patti has obtained qualifications from the Charted Institute of Marketing, Counselling and British Sign Language.

Alice qualified as an Associate Solicitor at Punter Southall Law in October 2023. She completed her SQE and Qualifying Work Experience with the firm and to date, she has specialised in corporate work working alongside our corporate Partners on a full range of matters that have included mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and general corporate advice to a range of corporate clients. Alice hopes to incorporate environmental law into her future legal practice.

Verena is an experienced and highly regarded regulatory lawyer with particular expertise advising both regulated and unregulated UK and international funds. Verena has extensive and direct experience of working in the banking and funds industry as well as for regulators and in private practice.  This experience combined with her Masters in Business Administration ensures that she provides to her clients expert advice that never loses sight of their commercial objectives.   

Verena advises on the re-structuring of funds, overseas funds in the UK, global funds registrations as well as on the managing and chairing fund boards, AGMs and EGMs.    

In recent times, she has taken a keen interest in and developed specialist knowledge of ESG and is a well-known speaker on this issue at national and international conferences.

Email: verena.charvet@puntersouthall.law

Adam Fortune is an experienced, widely respected and highly effective commercial litigator.    His background as a barrister combined with his experience in top-tier solicitor litigation teams mean that his clients benefit from a depth and breadth of experience and an unrelenting focus on client-care and outcomes.     

Adam has specialist knowledge and experience in financial disputes – including those involving private equity, leveraged finance and derivatives, asset management and insolvency disputes.

Email: adam.fortune@puntersouthall.law 

Tony Grant is a partner at Punter Southall Law. Tony has specialised in advising on corporate transactions and company law for a number of years.  He primarily advises private companies on acquisitions, disposals, equity and debt fundraising (including acting for borrowers on bank finance transactions), investment and shareholder agreements and general corporate and commercial advisory work.

Prior to joining Punter Southall Law in 2023, Tony was previously a founding partner with Jonathan Dawe of specialist London-based corporate law firm Grant Dawe LLP. Prior to founding Grant Dawe LLP in 2006, Tony was a corporate partner at Denton Wilde Sapte (now Dentons). He joined Dentons having trained and qualified at Allen & Overy. He worked for Dentons from 1980 as a partner in Hong Kong becoming the senior partner of the firm’s Asian practice (with offices in addition to Hong Kong in Singapore, Beijing ,Bangkok and Tokyo and an affiliated office in Jakarta). On his return to Dentons London in 1992 he became successively the head of the corporate department and the technology, media and telecom departments.

Tony’s practice has a strong international emphasis. He acts for corporate groups, growth and start-up companies, business owners, high-net worth individuals and legal and finance professionals.  Tony works across a wide range of industries and business sectors, including sport, media, telecommunications, technology and retail services.

Email: Tony.Grant@puntersouthall.law
Mobile: +44 (0)7771 842844

Jonathan Dawe is a partner at Punter Southall Law.  Jonathan has specialised in advising on corporate transactions and company law for nearly 30 years.  He primarily advises private companies on acquisitions, disposals, equity and debt fundraising (including acting for borrowers on bank finance transactions), investment and shareholder agreements and general corporate advisory work.

Prior to joining Punter Southall Law in 2023, Jonathan was previously a founding partner with Tony Grant of specialist London-based corporate law firm Grant Dawe LLP.  Prior to founding Grant Dawe LLP in 2006, Jonathan was a corporate partner at Denton Wilde Sapte (now Dentons), where he trained and qualified in the corporate department of Denton Hall in 1993, became a partner in 2000 and headed the corporate team at Dentons’ office in Dubai, UAE between 2001-2004.

Jonathan’s clients are both UK-based and international and include corporate groups, growth and start-up companies, business owners high-net worth individuals and legal and finance professionals.  Jonathan works across a wide range of industries and business sectors, including sport, TV production, music publishing, entertainment, real estate investment and management, online retail and digital services.

Email: Jonathan.Dawe@puntersouthall.law
Mobile: +44 (0)7738 293840

Lilian specialises in Contentious Regulatory and Investigations for clients across the financial services sector. Her practice covers a broad range of contentious regulatory and advisory issues including internal and regulatory investigations, financial crime, competition, governance, conduct risk issues and supervisory processes including skilled person reviews, remediation programmes, regulatory notifications and perimeter advice.

Email: lilian.small@puntersouthall.law
Mobile: +44 7967 756 402

Sophie is a senior corporate paralegal highly experienced in assisting senior lawyers in commercial and corporate matters.

Sophie is close to completing her Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice.  She will then qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive.     

Email: sophie.highton-dodge@puntersouthall.law 

Neil Aronson is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Punter Southall Law. Neil has 25 years’ experience of the legal market, both in terms of legal practice and recruitment. He started life as a corporate lawyer at Herbert Smith and then with Mcgrigors (formerly KLegal), before moving into legal recruitment. For the last 18 years Neil has specialised in placing partners and teams at many of the world’s leading international law firms. Neil joined Punter Southall Law in 2024 from a leading recruitment firm where he spent 10 successful years.

Neil was admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales in 2000. 

Adam specialises in corporate matters.  Adam trained and worked in London at two major law firms for over thirty years, where his practice covered corporate work including M&A, private equity, private capital fundraisings and AIM market related matters.

Adam also spent some time working within industry as legal director at a number of private companies, most recently in the renewables sector, where was one of the founder shareholders that acquired and managed a large portfolio of wind turbines, where he oversaw the acquisition and financing activities, including managing external advisers.  He believes his time in industry has given him a better understanding of a clients’ perspective of transactions.

In private practice Adam combined his work as a solicitor with that of law firm management.

Adam advises companies that range from start-ups through to corporate groups; as well as corporate and individual investors on structuring investment.

Adam has held a number of non-executive director roles.

Email: adam.walker@puntersouthall.law
DDI: +44 (0)20 3327 5259

Jonathan Armstrong is an experienced lawyer concentrating on compliance and technology. His practice includes advising multinational companies on matters involving risk, compliance, and technology. He has handled legal matters in more than 60 countries involving data breach, bribery and corruption, corporate governance, ethics code implementation, reputation, internal investigations, marketing, branding and global privacy policies. He frequently works as specialist compliance co-counsel with firms in the US and Europe.

Jonathan is a frequent broadcaster, blogger and is a sought-after speaker worldwide.

In addition to being a lawyer, Jonathan is a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Marketing. He has spoken at conferences in the US, Canada, China, Brazil, Singapore, Vietnam, Dubai and across Europe.

He is a visiting lecturer at Fordham University.

Email: jonathan.armstrong@puntersouthall.law

After graduating with first-class honours in law from University College Dublin, Blake O’Donnell joined A&L Goodbody, a prestigious Irish firm. Over the course of 15 years, Blake’s career path led him through esteemed institutions and the establishment of his own legal practice, all focused on the intersection of law and finance.

Blake’s expertise lies in banking and blockchain, with a particular emphasis on real estate transactions and digital assets. With transactions exceeding £1.6 billion in value across various jurisdictions, including the UK, USA, France, Sweden, and Ireland, Blake has garnered a reputation as a leading authority in his field.

Blake brings a comprehensive understanding of both the legal and financial aspects of his practice areas. He approaches his work not only as a lawyer but also as a strategic advisor, providing invaluable insights into the financial implications of legal decisions. Blake’s involvement spans structuring complex financings, advising on regulatory compliance in the rapidly evolving crypto landscape, and providing strategic counsel to clients ranging from investment funds to high-net-worth individuals.

Blake is also the author of “Legal Aspects of Cryptocurrency in the UK” (Bloomsbury 2024). This authoritative work explores the legal complexities surrounding cryptocurrency, offering in-depth analysis of regulatory frameworks, compliance requirements, and taxation implications.

Blake O’Donnell’s expertise in banking and digital assets positions him as a trusted advisor and thought leader in these rapidly evolving fields.

Email: blake.odonnell@puntersouthall.law
Mobile: +44 (0)7703 594404

Peter is a Partner at Punter Southall Law. He is a highly-rated and experienced corporate lawyer and formerly a partner of +15 years with Stephenson Harwood and subsequently with Howse Williams Bowers in Hong Kong. Peter also has acted as in-house counsel with a large family office in Geneva and then with a European VC firm in London. His versatility as a lawyer is demonstrated by his history of helping businesses to achieve their objectives across many sectors and globally.

Peter has advised on raising finance (publicly and privately), sales and acquisitions, joint ventures and co-operation agreements. Most recently, Peter was chief adviser to a crypto-currency and blockchain-based FinTech company. His advice included advising on all aspects of regulatory compliance.

Email: peter.bradley@puntersouthall.law
Mobile: +44 (0)7495 285979

Greg Davidian is a highly experienced dual qualified corporate lawyer (England & Wales, Germany) with a particular specialism in Financial Services regulation.  Greg advises on the full range of corporate work including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and commercial contracts.  As a fluent German speaker, his cross-border work has included advising German, Austrian and Swiss companies on English law matters and regularly advises clients seeking to establish themselves in the UK.  His clients include UK and international corporations, SMEs and entrepreneurs.

Greg has worked both in-house as legal counsel for the international business of a UK insurance company and many years in private practice in London before joining Punter Southall Law.

Email: greg.davidian@puntersouthall.law

Mobile: 07776 138992

Tamara is a solicitor, qualified in England & Wales, who has advised small UK and US firms on their Risk & Compliance obligations over the last 10 years.

Tamara advises and assists Punter Southall Law with all aspects of its Risk & Compliance requirements and assists the firm with streamlining its processes.

Tamara has previously presented at Anti-Money Laundering focused conferences and has also contributed to an Ethics and Compliance Q&A for a magazine.

Tamara is a member of the International Compliance Association.   

Email: tamara.q-t@puntersouthall.law

Mobile: 07776 138992

Genevieve Mead has a M.A. (Cantab) degree in Natural Sciences from St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge University (1997) and qualified as a solicitor in 2001 in a leading London law firm before working as an inhouse General Counsel in an international manufacturing, sales and distribution company and later as a Senior Counsel/Head of Nordics in a multinational industrial conglomerate, where she advised a portfolio of 25 companies in different jurisdictions and was a director on the board of several of these companies.

She has significant experience from private practice in law firms in both the UK and Norway advising companies and individuals on a wide range of M&A transactions, company law, commercial contracts, and employment law. In 2014, she gained the additional qualification of advokat and Member of the Bar in Norway.

Email: genevieve.mead@puntersouthall.law

Mobile: 07399 929155

Stuart Brothers specialises in retail financial services regulation, particularly in relation to complaints handling and FCA Handbook DISP related matters.

Prior to joining Punter Southall Law, Stuart undertook an interim role as a legal counsel for the Financial Services Ombudsman (FOS). That role involved advising on a wide range of issues arising under DISP including ambit of FOS jurisdiction, application of fair & reasonable criteria, time limits, eligible complainant criteria, application of Consumer Duty principles, reviewing draft provisional and final decisions and judicial review actions.

Stuart’s FOS role followed 35 years experience in financial services regulation which included acting as a lawyer within the legal department of the AMP group of companies, managing director of London Life Limited and as director in the Banking & Finance group of KLegal (associated law firm of KPMG) where Stuart advised investment and banking clients on matters arising from the implementation of Financial Services & Markets Act 2000.

Stuart was also general counsel to a SIPP administrator for 17 years. Stuart also had a prominent role in litigation relating to the sale of interest rate hedging products from 2010, which included  writing an article for the Law Society Gazette on the regulatory review and redress scheme and giving a presentation to a joint party Parliamentary group on the topic. Stuart’s work on that area was quoted in the Telegraph and Financial Times.

Areas of expertise

• Complaints handling – case file reviews, final response letters, dealing with FOS, business process review into complaints handling for companies within AMP Group;
• Investment and pensions, particularly SIPP and SSAS products;
• Application and interpretation of FSMA/FCA Handbook;
• Regulatory perimeter issues, including RAO exemptions;
• FCA thematic reviews (Consumer Duty/suitability/non-standard investments);
• Defined benefit transfers – suitability (DBAAT), appointment of skilled persons under section 166 FSMA, redress methodology, section 404 scheme (BSPS);
• Intricate SM&CR/SYSC matter – issues raised by FCA Supervision Group in relation to governance structure of a wealth management LLP, in particular relating to scope of SMF27 roles and controller issues;
• FCA requests for information, including under section 165 FSMA;
• Threatened FCA action under section 176 FSMA (mortgage broker);
• Compliance with conduct of business rules (COBS, MCOB, ICOBS, FPCOB);
• Whistleblowing reports investigated by FCA;
• Remuneration structures, particularly post RDR;
• Issues arising from potential allegations of “phoenixing” and “lifeboating”;
• VREQ’s and OIREQ’s, including an insurance broker’s alleged non-compliance with CASS rules;
• Minimum capital requirements including IFPR and ICARA and issues arising from PI exclusions and wind down planning;
• Demarcation of responsibility for and supervision of appointed representatives;
• Introducer appointed representative agreements;
• Insurance Distribution Directive issues;
• Arrangements with non-regulated introducers (SIPP & SSAS clients);
• Structuring of cash flow planning company to fall within regulated activities exemptions in relation to investment platform arrangements;
• Implementation of Consumer Duty;
• FCA review into decumulation following pensions freedoms;
• With profits funds – actuarial discretions (guaranteed annuity rate products) and distribution of insurance long term fund; and
• Setting up of film finance scheme (non-CIS).

Regulatory Transactional Work

• Section 178 FSMA change in control issues, including challenges by FCA in relation both to disposers and acquirers;
• Regulatory due diligence – directly authorised firms, appointed representatives, SIPP administrators;
• Warranties and indemnities in share and asset sale agreements for FCA regulated entities;
• High profile disposals of an IFA and SIPP administrator (2022/23);
• Joint venture between IFA and fund manager for provision of discretionary fund management services;
• Agreements for white-labelling of platform services; and
• Responsible for regulatory due diligence exercise of UK subsidiaries of Australian Mutual Provident (AMP) for AMP’s listing on Australian Stock Exchange.

Financial Services Dispute Resolution

• Case on restraints in a pensions and actuarial services outsourcing contract Quantum Advisory Limited v Quantum Actuarial LLP in High Court [2020] EWHC 1072 (Comm) and Court of Appeal [2021] EWCA Civ 227;
• Interest Rate Hedging Product (IRHP) claims against investment banks, including cases against Barclays Capital and HSBC which were covered by Daily Telegraph (Harry Wilson);
• Application for the use of expert evidence in a IRHP mis-selling claim (Battrick v Royal Bank of Scotland plc [2013] EWHC 2277 (QB)); and
• LIBOR manipulation action (Longford Securities & Equities (K&T) Limited v Royal Bank of Scotland plc).

Philip Davies is an experienced employment lawyer with a broad practice. Philip spent more than twenty years in private practice before moving into consultancy roles with organisations such as UBS, BNP Paribas and MUFG. He was previously a Partner in the Eversheds employment team in London.

Philip has significant experience of advising clients on contentious, non-contentious and transactional matters. 

His practice covers the full employment life-cycle:

• Contracts
• Disciplinary and grievance issues
• Discrimination concerns
• Investigations
• Whistleblowing
• Performance and absence management
• Policies and procedures
• Major restructurings
• Terminations/negotiated exits (including at board level)
• Drafting and enforcing restrictive covenants

Philip also advises on the application of TUPE to commercial transactions, in particular complex multi-national outsourcing arrangements and major reorganisations. He has litigated in the Employment Tribunal, the Employment Appeal Tribunal and the High Court.

Philip has advised clients across various sectors, with a particular focus on the financial and professional services sectors. He has advised a number of retail and investment banks, investment managers, management consultants, and insurers.

Philip also has extensive experience of advising on large international projects across different regions and coordinating advice from local counsel.  

Recent experience includes:

• Advising a US hedge fund regarding a multi-million-dollar whistleblowing and discrimination claim by a senior former employee. 
• Advising several major investment banks/wealth managers regarding restructures and headcount reductions.  
• Advising a major investment bank regarding whistleblowing and discrimination claims brought by a former employee, including allegations against the CEO and CFO.

John Grayston is an experienced lawyer specialising in European law with a specific reputation and practice in the areas of European trade and customs law including export control and sanctions. 

John represents and advises clients on trade and customs compliance across Europe as well as representing clients in court proceedings before national courts and the European Courts of Justice.

Based in Brussels, John qualified as a solicitor but also practices as a Belgian avocat.

John serves as Honorary European Legal Counsel to the International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA).

David Brookes is a partner at Punter Southall Law. He is a highly experienced and versatile transactional finance and corporate and commercial lawyer with more than 25 years of experience from both private practice and in-house.

Prior to joining Punter Southall Law, David spent 10 years as a partner with large UK and US City law firms representing leading companies, arrangers and financial institutions on a wide variety of cross-border asset and project finance style transactions including syndicated and bilateral debt, export credit, private equity, capital markets, structured finance and leasing, as well as enforcement, restructurings and workouts, in the maritime, offshore, energy and aviation sectors. He led transactions with a total value of more than US$10 bn.

More recently he represented a start-up company in the renewable energy (offshore wind) sector overseeing all company, investment, fundraising, finance, commercial and maritime law matters and he spent 5 years as the General Counsel of a high net worth family office / private equity and venture capital group in Mayfair, London active with investments, joint ventures and collaborations in the FinTech, media and e-commerce sectors, and as the Group General Counsel for a multi-national tech group in the blockchain sector.

His broad legal experience includes:

• Finance transactions
• Contract
• Corporate
• Commercial
• M&A
• Maritime Shipping and Transportation
• Employment
• Intellectual Property
• Restructuring and Workouts
• Governance and Compliance
• Data Privacy and GDPR.

Born and raised in Norway, David is fluent in all Scandinavian languages.

Jane Clemetson is an experienced commercial, IP, data protection and AI lawyer advising on legal and business affairs matters, frequently focused on the creation and exploitation of intellectual property of all descriptions including audio and audio-visual content, music, print and digital publishing and the legal aspects of advertising, marketing, sponsorship and events, social media, NFTs and the metaverse.

Jane also advises on contracts relating to tech, IT and the digital economy, provide advice and training on data protection and privacy issues and the deployment of AI.

She delivers pertinent strategic legal and business advice, including on complex and challenging deals and understand how to effectively and proportionately manage risk and control compliance and risk issues whilst navigating legal, compliance and commercial obstacles. 

Jane has worked on projects for business transformation and establishing best practice, including introducing processes to refresh and standardise contracts and improve contracting and governance procedures, to enable digital evolution and solution automation, for which she was recognised with a European Woman of Legal Tech Award.