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Sam is a partner in the Financial Services Regulatory practice.

Sam advises clients include banks, asset management firms, broker dealers, payment institutions and corporate finance houses on a broad range of regulatory and compliance matters within the financial services sector. Prior to working in private practice, Sam worked for seven years at the UK financial services regulator, the Financial Services Authority (the majority of this time in the FSA’s General Counsel’s Division), and has also spent time on secondment at Santander Asset Management UK Limited.

Recent work includes advising on whether certain activities require FCA authorisation, establishing crowdfunding platforms and robo-managers, the structuring of fund vehicles (including regulated and unregulated funds), financial promotion issues, conduct of business requirements, acquisitions of FCA-authorised firms, drafting terms of business for investment firms and payment service providers as well as providing consumer credit advice.

Sam has been published in financial services publications and journals (including Bloomberg World Securities Law Reports, Bloomberg UK Financial Services Law Reports and Thomson Reuters Compliance Complete). Sam has also been a guest lecturer on the IPF Diploma in Investment Education.

Sam won an award for the Regulatory Lawyer of the Year at the Thomson Reuters Compliance Awards 2014 (http://www.complianceawards.com/2014-winners). Sam was also shortlisted for the same award in 2013.

Awards & Recognitions
01
  • Quote
    "Financial services regulatory expert Sam Robinson is 'sought out by innovators for being able to navigate mazes by thinking laterally'."
    Legal 500, 2018
  • Quote
    "Sam has "regulatory expertise, which sources praise him for contextualising in a "very commercial" manner" and "Sam's great. He's very sharp but comes across as laid back. I'm always confident he knows what he's doing since he knows the regulatory framework thorough"."
    Chambers, 2018
  • Quote
    “the ‘pragmatic’ Sam Robinson has ‘deep industry knowledge’ across a range of matters including payment regulatory issues.”
    Legal 500 2015

Relevant experience

  • Establishing new businesses – Assisting with FCA authorisation applications and advising firms on the regulatory requirements relating to the launch of a new business.
  • FinTech – Advising clients in the FinTech industry relating to regulatory requirements including crowdfunding platforms, peer-to-peer lending platforms, robo-managers, e-money providers and payment services firms.
  • Crowdfunding - Extensive experience advising crowdfunding platforms and investors and advise over 30 crowdfunding platforms covering equity, debt, real estate, peer-to-peer lending and invoice financing.  
  • Regulatory change projects – Fund managers on AIFMD, investment firms on MiFID I and MiFID II, changes in FCA rules.
  • New products and services – Advising various firms including banks, investment firms and asset managers on the launch of new products and services.
  • Compliance with PRA and FCA Rules and EU financial services regulation – Advising clients on regulatory requirements including in relation to systems and controls, conduct of business, approved persons and regulatory capital.
  • Contracts – Drafting and negotiating contracts including customer terms of business, investment management agreements, custody agreements, appointed representative agreements, distribution agreements and outsourcing agreements.

Publications

  • Sam is regularly published in financial services publications and journals on a wide range of financial services issues (including Bloomberg World Securities Law Reports, Bloomberg UK Financial Services Law Reports, Lexis Nexis, Thomson Reuters Compliance Complete and E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy). 

Memberships & Roles

  • Member of the Alternative Investment Management Association.
  • Member of the Financial Services Lawyers Association.
  • Member of the Prepaid International Forum
  • Legal advisor to the UK Crowdfunding Association.

Education

  • LLB Law
  • LLM Law (Corporate and Securities Law)
  • Securities Institute Diploma – Regulation and Compliance
  • Securities and Futures Authority – Securities Representative
  • Securities and Futures Authority – Financial Derivatives Representative
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