Morrison Foerster strengthens financial services and fintech capabilities in London with addition of Bank of England senior adviser and head Sam Riley
LONDON (PRWEB)
17 January 2023
Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce the arrival of Sam Riley, who will become a partner in the Transactions Department, enhancing the firm’s financial services and FinTech offering in London. Riley brings sophisticated, cross-practice and multi-jurisdictional experience across financial services, banking, digital payments and securities regulation, with a particular focus on digital assets (including stablecoins/crypto) and emerging technologies.
Riley has a broad regulatory and transactional practice, built around financial regulation, FinTech, digital innovation, emerging technology in financial services, as well as derivatives. She joins Morrison Foerster from the Bank of England, where she most recently advised Sir Jon Cunliffe in his role as Chair of the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and Co-Chair of CPMI-International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and related international involvement, including in the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the G20.
Riley’s most recent role also involved the development and coordination of international policy and strategy regarding financial market infrastructure (including clearing, settlement and payments) and policy and regulatory development with respect to innovation in financial services, such as digital assets (including stablecoins and other digital currencies). She was also involved in international work on the G20 roadmap for cross-border payments. While at the Bank of England, Riley also worked on the impact of, and response to, the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
“Sam will be a great asset to our clients across the technology and financial sectors who are constantly innovating, looking to launch new products and grappling with the ever-evolving FinTech, cryptocurrency and digital asset markets and the regulatory landscape surrounding them,” said Paul Friedman, Morrison Foerster’s managing partner for Europe. “The combination of her legal experience with her most recent role at the Bank of England, where she had extensive interaction with senior UK and global decision-makers and regulators, will prove invaluable to our clients, particularly in their cross-border matters.”
“We work with some of the world’s largest and most innovative financial technology companies. At the Bank of England, Sam has been in the middle of developing the regulatory response to new financial technologies. She is uniquely placed to advise our clients and will play an important role within our leading global FinTech offering, says Andrew Boyd, Co-Managing Partner at Morrison Foerster’s London office.
Riley’s arrival also highlights the continued growth of Morrison Foerster’s London office and expansion of key practices. It closely follows the addition of a four-strong IP team led by partner Steven James in London in December 2022. In March 2022, the firm’s London office also welcomed Marie-Claire Strawbridge as a partner, expanding its global competition/antitrust and UK National Security features. Riley is also the latest addition to the firm’s global financial services and FinTech capabilities, following the arrival in 2021 of Maria Earley in Washington, DC, and Jeff Silberman in New York.
“I am drawn to Morrison Foerster’s industry-leading reputation in technology, FinTech and financial services, which makes it a perfect fit for my experience, as well as its fantastic culture,” said Riley. “The regulatory landscape that affects the financial sector on a large scale, from cryptocurrency to cross-border payments, and derivatives to digital innovation, is constantly evolving. I look forward to leveraging my public sector and private practice experience to help the firm’s clients navigate this ever-evolving environment and anticipate challenges as they seek to innovate. I am delighted to join the firm’s dynamic London office and work closely with my new colleagues across multiple transactional and regulatory practices both in London and globally as we continue to strengthen the firm’s offering across financial services and FinTech.”
Riley obtained his undergraduate degree in English from the University of Birmingham and his LPC from the College of Law. She is admitted to practice in England and Wales. Riley previously practiced at an international law firm, where she spent more than eight years advising a variety of clients on banking, securitization, derivatives, regulatory and structured finance matters. She later moved into an in-house role as Assistant General Counsel at the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, where she chaired several high-profile industry working groups and developed a number of successful regulatory implementation initiatives, before taking on her senior management and advisory role at the Bank of England. Riley was featured in the Global Banking Regulation Review’s “45 under 45” list, celebrating the leading next-generation banking regulation specialists from around the world, in 2020-2021.
About Morrison Foerster
Morrison Foerster is a leading global law firm that transforms complexity for the benefit of its clients. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, banks, consulting and accounting firms, and Fortune 100, technology and life sciences companies. Highlighting the firm’s commitment to client service, leadership in market-changing deals and impact litigation, and values-based culture, Morrison Foerster was recognized as one of the top 10 firms on The American Lawyers A-list for 2021 and 2022. Year after year, the firm receives significant recognition from Chambers and The Legal 500 across their various guides, including Global, US, Asia Pacific, Europe, UK and Latin America. Morrison Foerster most recently achieved four practice area rankings and two individual recognitions in the 2023 edition of the Chambers FinTech Guide. Our lawyers care passionately about delivering legal excellence while living up to our values. Morrison Foerster has a longstanding commitment to creating a culture that respects and celebrates differences while providing an inclusive environment. The firm has achieved Mansfield Certification Plus since 2018 as a result of successfully achieving at least 30 percent women, communities of color and LGBTQ+ attorney representation in a notable number of current leadership roles and committees. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community and society through providing pro bono legal services, including litigation for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education and promoting the well-being of children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, enforcing the right to asylum , and safeguarding the environment.
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