United Kingdom

The UK has traditionally been used as a gateway to Europe for US-based multinationals. Although Brexit may change the political arrangements within Europe, the size of the UK economy and the presence of London as one of the world’s major financial centres will always make it an important market for American companies. Our team is built to fulfil our clients’ needs in the UK and beyond. As our reputation for top class, cutting-edge work in the UK continues to grow, more local and EMEA-based clients are looking to Seyfarth as an alternative to the traditional UK-based international law firms. Our London office also serves as a hub for UK and EMEA based clients to interface with the vast full-service practice of the firm in the United States.

HOW WE HELP

Our experience and skill set in the UK and across the EMEA region is well-tested over a long period of time by some of the world’s leading organizations. Our services in the UK consist of strategic employment law advice across the EMEA region, as well as global investigations, regulatory enforcement advice and representation, immigration law, patent/trademark law, and commercial law.

THE SEYFARTH EXPERIENCE

Our legal team in London are qualified in England, France, Canada, Spain, Italy, and the United States, and all focus on multijurisdictional matters. We therefore understand the complexity of operating across multiple jurisdictions. Our team works with you to deliver on the commercial objectives of a matter by developing a detailed understanding of your risk profile while balancing the legal, regulatory, and reputational issues. Most of our clients think of us as a part of them. That makes us better advisers.

EXPERIENCE

Our lawyers have represented clients in the following matters:

Employment

• Completed the world’s largest ever and most successful workforce restructure—covering 152 countries—including the most countries in the EMEA region. We advised our client regarding the implementation of successive collective redundancies, plant closures, and outsourcing and spin-off transactions.
• Designed the strategy, drafted the documents, and assisted with the implementation of the global employment structure and country-specific arrangements covering operations in more than 75 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America for a pharmaceutical research business.
• Advised about the local language and documentation requirements for HR-related documents for employees in 47 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America for one of the world’s largest consumer brands.
• Advised about the health and safety legal obligations across Europe, including providing face-to-face pan-European training for European plant managers, for one of the world’s largest manufacturers.
• Provided various Board termination and strategic advice for a major UK retailer.
• Provided a range of advice on corporate and employment law issues on setting up a UK entity with Brexit imminent.

Corporate Investigations
Our lawyers have represented clients in the following matters:

• Conducting a complex international internal investigations for a global pharma company.
• Coordinating the global strategy and investigation into complex corruption and financial crime in multiple jurisdictions for a sovereign wealth fund.
• Internal investigation for private equity firm assessing exposure to financial crime risk.

White Collar Crime & Regulatory Defence

• Coordinating the defence strategy for a state-owned company and its directors facing overseas criminal charges.
• Representing a global bank in a high-profile cross-border, multi-agency, market conduct investigation.
• Securing acquittals of SFO bribery charges for a senior director of a global manufacturing company.
• Judicial review of the FCA in relation to the lawful exercise of their compelled powers on behalf of US regulators.
• Successfully securing dismissal of an SFO bribery investigation into directors of a private equity firm.
• Successfully securing dismissal of DOJ/ SFO bribery investigation of a senior manager of a reinsurance firm.
• Successfully securing dismissal of investigation for a broker facing FCA enforcement investigation.
• Successfully securing dismissal of investigation for a trader facing FCA enforcement investigation.
• Successfully securing dismissal of an investigation by the FCA for directors facing an SFO bribery investigation.
• Securing a successful outcome for a private bank before the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in relation to failings in their regulatory financial crime systems and controls.
• Representing an energy investment and development firm in relation to an investigation by the DFSA.

Financial Crime and Regulatory Advisory

• Advising an overseas Regulator in an investigation into complex financial crime.
• Advising global asset managers on financial crime matters and complex AML queries.
• Advising a global games company in response to an international hack.
• Advising a global asset manager in relation to a Cum-Ex investigation by the German tax authorities.
• Advising a bank on its conduct of an internal investigation in relation to misconduct and abuse of controls by senior employee.
• Advising high-frequency trading firm and its directors in an overseas prosecution of events leading to a “flash crash.”
• Advising and supporting an FCA-regulated firm in relation to financial crime concerns raised by the FCA Supervision team.
• Advising companies on their regulatory notification and anti-money laundering obligations.
• Advising former directors in relation to an AIM investigation into breaches of exchange rules.

ESG Investigations and Advice

• Advising a company from the extractive industry on ESG litigation exposure.
• Providing advice to am online platform in relation to the Extended Producer Responsibilities Scheme.
• Advising regulated firms with asset exposure to cannabis investments.

Corporate and Commercial

• Represented a Canadian human resources services and technology company in a $426 million (CAD) acquisition.
• Advised a leading international technology provider in relation to numerous outsourcing transactions across EMEA, Asia Pacific and North America.
• Advised a worldwide logistics company in connection with a corporate reorganisation spanning the UK, Germany, Hong Kong, and China.
• Advised a food equipment manufacturer in relation to numerous cross-border supply and servicing arrangements in Europe and Asia.