Polly James > Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Forming part of the broader litigation offering, and closely aligned to the advisory group, the ‘collegiate’ team at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner combines a deep understanding of the black letter law with a strong sense of commerciality for investment banking clients, and individual members of senior management, in particular, across the full swathe of their contentious regulatory requirements. ‘Savvy and client-focused’ team head Polly James excels at handling sensitive whistleblower-initiated internal investigations and is very adept at assisting clients with their pre-contentious regulatory interactions with the PRA and FCA. The ‘exceptionally smart’ David Rundle continues to thrive since recently joining from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP and is particularly skilled at assisting individuals and entities in market abuse cases before the FCA. UK head of banking litigation Oran Gelb handles disputes at all court levels as well as representing clients in market abuse-related enforcement actions before the FCA.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner showcases ‘impressive expertise’ in the retail and wholesale sectors, counting banks, asset managers, insurance and reinsurance companies, payment services and currency exchange platforms among its key roster of clients. Praised for his ‘thorough and detailed knowledge’, Matthew Baker handles investment management mandates, in addition to the financial services regulatory aspects of M&A transactions. Providing ‘rigour and depth in her technical legal advice’, practice leader Polly James is another key contact in the team, alongside Joanna Munro.