As our Managing Partner, Deborah works closely with our Senior Partner to develop and promote the firm’s strategy and global approach, and with our COO to oversee the strategic running of the firm.
Deborah’s practice covers the broad spectrum of commercial litigation as well as domestic and cross-border investigations. She acts on substantial and complex commercial disputes for a wide range of clients, as well as on restructuring and insolvency.
Deborah is regarded as one of the UK’s leading lawyers in the field of banking and commercial litigation and regulatory investigation. She has acted for many major financial institutions across a spectrum of contentious matters, including acting for major financial institutions in relation to LIBOR and FX. Deborah has also led our teams on various financial crime and mis-selling enforcement actions brought by the FCA.
Highlights include advising:
- The independent review of TSB’s 2018 migration to a new IT platform, which resulted in the publication of Slaughter and May’s Report on 19 November 2019.
- Standard Chartered Bank in long running investigations by UK and US authorities (FCA, DoJ, New York District Attorney, New York Department of Financial Services, US Federal Reserve and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)) into issues relating to inter alia, AML issues and compliance with the US sanctions regimes.
- WPP in relation to matters arising from the departure of Sir Martin Sorrell as CEO.
- JPMorgan Chase Bank in relation to various regulatory and governmental investigations into allegations of attempts to manipulate FX rates, the subsequent settlements and in defending follow-on civil claims in the UK.
- A global market infrastructure provider in carrying out an Independent Review commissioned by the Bank of England into allegations of serious wrongdoing made by a whistleblower at a global market infrastructure provider.
- Deutsche Bank in a number of matters, including in relation to extensive regulatory investigations into the setting of various interbank benchmark rates – including LIBOR – over a number of years across multiple jurisdictions, such as the UK, the US (the DoJ, CFTC and the New York DFS), the EU, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan.
- A pensions, life and investment PLC in relation to an FCA investigation into the sale of enhanced annuities following an industry-wide Thematic Review.
- An electronic payment provider, in respect of a significant contractual dispute with a major bank, which included successfully obtaining an out-of-hours injunction to ensure the continuity of business and banking services.
- Advising a senior manager at a global financial institution in relation to an FCA investigation into problems with the implementation of the FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime.
Deborah is described as a “renowned litigator” with “real gravitas and experience”. Chambers and Partners 2023, Banking Litigation
Sources describe Deborah as “hugely experienced and [she] provides great strategic insight for the conduct of banking litigation”. Legal 500 2023, Banking Litigation
Deborah is recognised as an Eminent Practitioner for Banking Litigation and Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory in Chambers and Partners 2023. She is also listed as a Hall of Fame individual for Commercial Litigation, Banking Litigation and Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory in Legal 500 2023.
Deborah is listed in Who’s Who Legal as a Global Leader in Commercial Litigation 2022 and Investigations 2022.
Deborah was formerly the head of both the Disputes group and the Global Investigations group at Slaughter and May.
Deborah has been a member of the Commercial Court Users Committee since 2011. She has written numerous articles, given talks and appeared on panels in the UK and the US on a range of subjects including Commercial and Banking Litigation, Private Equity, Regulatory Investigations and Crisis Management. She is the editor of The Banking Litigation Law Review.