Stephenson Harwood

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

• ‘Justin McClelland is strategic, thinking several steps ahead, and also pragmatic and empathetic. Have used him for many years and wouldn't go elsewhere.’

• ‘Very strong team; short turn-around time for important works; flexible invoicing. I personally work regularly with Alan Ward; very professional and he delivers prompt service at all times!’

• ‘Justin Mcclelland, Alan Ward and the wider team are outstanding professionals, enormously talented and show full dedication. They work tirelessly, are highly intelligent, objective and straight-talking. They are very impressive in their technical knowledge and level of detail, giving them the ability to deal appropriately with the most complex areas. ’

• ‘One of the best firms for regulatory disciplinary work. Has handled important and complex financial services cases for individuals and firms, including the most high profile cases in the Upper Tribunal.’

• ‘Sean Jeffrey is an exceptional partner and skilled at leading and managing a team, reassuring a client and making a team work together.'

• ‘Stephenson Harwood make an extremely effective team. The regulatory knowledge we have benefitted from is excellent.’

• ‘Sean Jeffrey is a razor-sharp, insightful and trustworthy lawyer who fully appreciates commercial context and uses this to deliver the right advice. He is a highly valued partner to the organisation and wise counsel. He goes above and beyond to make himself available.’

• ‘Justin McClelland is absolutely outstanding. Sure-footed and with a perfect grasp of the legal, regulatory and procedural issues, he gives practical advice at all stages of an investigation or regulatory procedure. He’s also highly accessible, never lets himself get ahead of his client and has complete integrity.'

Lawyers

Leading partners

The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Sean Jeffrey

Stephenson Harwood

Sean is a commercial litigation partner specialising in contentious regulatory matters, advising financial institutions and senior executives in connection with all aspects of complex investigations including related litigation and insurance matters. Sean's recent work includes advising a prominent financial institution and an international intermediary on FCA enforcement proceedings and supervisory visits. He has advised a major lender in relation to regulatory, litigation and insurance issues arising from significant accounting irregularities. Sean has broad experience of financial services redress exercises in a range of legal and regulatory contexts. He has advised a leading international financial services business regarding issues with the sale of retail products to approximately two million customers, including using an innovative Scheme. He has extensive experience of advising regulated firms on remedies concerning decisions of authorities and public bodies, including the FCA, PRA, FOS and SFO. Sean has represented a number of international banks in relation to sanctions issues, including in judicial review proceedings against HM Government and in cases in the General Court and the Court of Justice. Sean acted for Vincent Tchenguiz, Robert Tchenguiz and the associated trusts in various litigation and regulatory matters connected with the SFO's 2011 dawn raids, which were successfully challenged in judicial review proceedings. He has assisted directors of financial and other institutions with the consequences of major regulatory and litigation crises. He has particular expertise regarding legal professional privilege and has litigated privilege issues in the Court of Appeal and House of Lords. He worked on the Bank of England litigation defending the claim for misfeasance in public office arising out of the supervision of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). Sean led the team which won the Legal Week/British Legal Awards litigation and regulatory team of the year for a ground-breaking challenge to a major investigatory and prosecuting authority. Legal 500 describes Sean as "technically strong". Chambers UK describe him as "very knowledgeable, easy to work with…works hard, thinking laterally to achieve the best result for his clients" and "very pragmatic, very intelligent, and an experienced litigator".

Justin McClelland

Stephenson Harwood

Justin leads the specialist Regulatory and Investigations team and is co-Head of the broader Commercial Litigation practice in London. He is acknowledged as a leading individual in the areas of both regulatory investigations and corporate crime, with the leading legal directories noting that "Justin McClelland can be a game-changer; he knows the case backwards and has superb instincts". He is described as “knowledgeable, astute and empathetic” and “‘excellent’ at handling multi-jurisdictional investigations,” where his “structured, calm and thorough” approach has proved invaluable in resolving the most challenging matters for clients, whether corporate or individuals. The Directories have noted that “Justin McClelland is the main selling point as he brings considerable experience, expertise and judgement in the field’.” and that “Justin McClelland is the stand-out practitioner. He has considerable cross-over experience, excellent judgement and secures great results.” Justin’s practice is international and covers a number of sectors, including financial services, transport, construction, pharmaceuticals and energy, in the following areas: Regulatory investigations: Leading and managing the defence of corporate clients and individuals in complex, multi-jurisdictional investigations on issues such as market abuse, insider dealing, breaches of the FCA’s Principles and Rules, and cartel behaviour.  The investigative agencies with which he has dealt include, in the UK, the FCA, the PRA, the FRC, the ICAEW, the MHRA, the NCA and the SFO and, overseas, the European Commission, the US DOJ, the NYAG, the US CFTC, the Dubai FSA and the Japanese FSA; Regulatory advice: Managing interactions with regulators in supervisory environments to avoid or minimise the impact of regulatory breaches pre-enforcement. The agencies dealt with have included (in the UK), the FCA, PRA, MCA, ICAEW and MHRA; Corporate investigations: Managing internal investigations involving POCA concerns, employment disputes, internal fraud allegations, export compliance/sanctions issues, bribery issues and data protection issues; High-value litigation: Representing clients in commercial and financial disputes including cross-jurisdictional litigation, multi-party actions, appellate proceedings, and follow-on actions arising from regulatory investigations; Compliance programmes: Providing assistance to clients in developing, implementing and reviewing compliance programmes. Prior to his private practice, Justin served as a lawyer in the British Army, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and prosecuting cases spanning the criminal spectrum at Courts Martial, as well as advising and negotiating internationally and at the highest levels of government. Justin was awarded the MBE in June 1998.

Next Generation Partners

Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Alan Ward

Stephenson Harwood

Alan has acted in relation to some of the most high-profile and complex multi-jurisdictional investigations commenced by regulatory and criminal enforcement agencies in the UK, USA, Europe, and Asia. He regularly advises financial institutions and corporates on regulatory and criminal-law compliance, internal investigations and interactions with regulators. Alan is a partner in the regulatory litigation practice group. He advises corporate entities and individuals in the context of regulatory and criminal investigations, commenced by agencies such as the Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") and Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA").  He also assists corporates and individuals in relation to the conduct of, and responses to, internal investigations. Alan's work regularly involves allegations of misconduct on financial markets. Recently, he has advised a number of individuals in the context of investigations into suspected market abuse on a diverse array of international markets, including equity, debt and commodities markets. He has also advised firms and exchanges on detecting and preventing market misconduct. Alan represented a number of individuals in relation to the global LIBOR and foreign exchange (FX / forex) investigations, including both individuals who were the subject of regulatory and criminal allegations of market misconduct and senior managers investigated by regulators for alleged oversight failures. Alan is one of a very small number of lawyers who has successfully represented a senior trader at a major investment bank at trial. He has also been instructed to advise corporates and individuals in providing assistance to agencies including the SFO, FCA, Prudential Regulation Authority ("PRA"), Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") and other US authorities. Much of Alan's work has a significant international dimension. He regularly advises corporate clients and financial institutions, including banks and asset managers, on matters that may have an impact, regulatory or otherwise, in more than one jurisdiction. Alan writes regularly in the legal and mainstream press and speaks at a number of industry conferences, both in the UK and internationally.