Andrew Katzen is one of the country’s foremost professional services regulatory and disciplinary experts and represents individuals and corporate bodies under investigation by bodies such as the SRA, FCA, FRC, ICAEW, GMC, HCPC, TRA and Ofsted.
He regularly advises law firms and partners, solicitors and office holders in them about SRA investigations ranging from allegations of dishonesty, regulatory rule breaches of anti-money laundering, sanctions and client account requirements and personal misconduct such as sexual and other non-work-related behaviour.
He often acts for corporates and individuals facing investigation by the FCA in criminal, regulatory and civil investigations in matters such as insider dealing, market manipulation and abuse, unauthorised business and breaches of FCA principles.
Andrew’s experience working across a variety of regulatory areas gives him the understanding to apply successful tactics from one discipline to another. He has achieved significant successes representing many different types of professionals including law firms, lawyers, accountants, financial businesses and company directors.
Most of Andrew’s clients in this practice area remain outside the public domain, however they include:
- Acting for a law firm and its senior partner in proceedings before the SDT regarding breaches of the Money Laundering Regulations and the Solicitors Accounts Rules (the penalty imposed against the firm was less than a quarter originally proposed by the SRA).
- Acting for four partners in a high-profile London law firm investigated by the SRA for allegations of sexual misconduct.
- Acting for the MLRO and COFA of a US law firm investigated for serious allegations of money laundering and client account breaches.
- Acting for a law firm regarding a complaint to the SRA regarding alleged misuse of client account funds and advising regarding self-reporting obligations about concerns of misuse of client account as a banking facility.
- Acting for a law firm investigated by the SRA for breaches of the Solicitors Accounts Rules regarding the administration of an estate in which £900,000 remains undistributed 31 years after the death of the testator.
- Acting for a partner in a law firm regarding three investigations by the SRA including allegations of giving false evidence in a High Court trial, misuse of client money and inadequate client due diligence in property transactions
- Acting for a sole practitioner intervened in by the SRA for suspected dishonesty concerning the misappropriation of hundreds of thousands of pounds from the administration of estates and supplying false information to the SRA
- Acting for a solicitor head of an in-house legal department regarding an SRA investigation concerning historical sexual misconduct
- Acting for a senior solicitor investigated by the SRA for dishonestly fabricating correspondence to an opponent in litigation.
Acting for a partner and head of department at a well-known law firm in his successful application for readmission to the Roll after misappropriating nearly £100,000.