Travers Smith strengthens its Senior Counsel ranks with three internal promotions and a new hire

Travers Smith's lawyers Samuel Brewer, Henriika Hara and Adam Short assumed their new roles on 1 January 2022. Harriet Sayer joined the firm's Pension Team as Senior Counsel from another leading law firm on 4 January 2022.

The newly promoted Senior Counsel and their principal areas are:

Samuel Brewer, Financial Services & Markets

Sam advises on a wide range of legal and regulatory matters affecting the financial services industry. Over the last year he has been actively involved in helping several clients implement the UK's Investment Firms Prudential Regime and EU sustainable finance rules in particular.

He advises regularly on FCA and PRA rules, Brexit, the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD), the Senior Managers Regime, change of control, regulatory perimeter issues, conduct issues, financial crime and financial promotions. He has extensive experience of drafting a wide range of financial services agreements and works frequently with trade associations on the implementation of new regulatory rules and regimes.

His practice covers advisory work and the regulatory aspects of transactions, reorganisations and fundraises, and he has worked with traditional and alternative asset managers, including in particular private equity, private credit and infrastructure firms, trading venues, investment, commercial and challenger banks, wealth managers and brokers. In the course of his career, Sam has also spent time on secondment with a global investment bank.

Henriika Hara, Financial Services & Markets

Henriika is counsel to a range of financial market participants on law and regulation affecting their business and products. Her client base consists of hedge, credit, private equity and real estate asset managers, brokers and investors. 

Henriika advises clients on the impact of, and in preparation for, regulatory changes in the financial sector. Recently, she has been focusing on the review of the EU Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD); the UK Investment Firm Prudential Regime (IFPR) and the EU Investment Firms Regulation and Directive (IFR/IFD); ESG-related developments, including the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), the EU Taxonomy Regulation and UK proposals in relation to climate-related disclosures; and the EU Cross-Border Distribution of Funds legislative package (CBDF).

Henriika also advises on the ongoing compliance with the AIFMD; the recast Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II); the UK Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) and related employee conduct issues; and financial crime matters including the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and the Fourth and Fifth Money Laundering Directives (MLD IV and V). In addition, her experience includes advising on Brexit and related firm restructurings and fund distribution strategies, new firm authorisations and mergers and acquisitions in the finance sector.

Adam Short, Dispute Resolution

Adam is an experienced disputes lawyer and regularly advises on high-value and multi-jurisdictional disputes across a variety of sectors.  His experience includes a broad range of commercial matters, including, amongst others, contractual claims, tortious claims, claims for breach of directors' duties and competition litigation.

In particular, during his career at Travers Smith, Adam has acted for Sebastian Holdings in its multi-billion dollar claim against Deutsche Bank arising from a series of exotic derivatives transactions, for Icelandic lawyer Jóhannes Rúnar Jóhannsson in a claim brought by property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz against Mr Jóhannsson and Grant Thornton UK LLP, and for a European trucks manufacturer in a competition follow-on damages claim. Adam has also undertaken a secondment to the Legal Directorate of the Bank of England.

Adam has significant arbitration experience, which includes claims before the ICC, LCIA, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, and also ad hoc arbitrations.  He is a member (MCIArb) of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Adam has spent over four years of his career in Dubai.  He is therefore very experienced dealing with international disputes and, in particular, disputes relating to the Middle East.

Harriet Sayer, Pensions

Harriet Sayer, who joins Travers Smith's market-leading Pensions Sector Group as Senior Counsel, advises trustees, employers and financial institutions on a broad range of transactional, advisory and contentious matters in relation to occupational and personal pension schemes. She has a particular focus on pensions investment and insurance.

Harriet's experience includes advising trustees and insurers on buy-ins, buy-outs and longevity swaps and insurers on funded and longevity reinsurance agreements; and trustees and in-house investment managers on a wide range of investment matters, including IMAs, investment-linked insurance policies, updating statements of investment principles and preparing implementation statements, TCFD reporting, stewardship and investment governance. Harriet also has experience in advising on general pensions issues, scheme funding and governance, bespoke funding structures, asset backed contributions, reservoir trusts, guarantees and security arrangements. Harriet has also advised corporates, banks and trustees on public and private M&A, joint ventures, capital reductions, finance transactions and restructurings, including on the application of the Pensions Regulator's moral hazard powers. On the contentious side Harriet has advised on disputes with members and the Pensions Regulator, and High Court litigation.

Harriet is a member of the Investment Committee of the Society of Pension Professionals and has a Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute. She has previously been seconded as Legal Assistant to the Financial Markets Law Committee.

Prior to joining Travers Smith, Harriet had been a senior lawyer at two other leading firms.

Managing Partner Edmund Reed said: "This is a strong internal promotion round, and I am very pleased to be appointing Sam, Henriika and Adam to the Senior Counsel role at Travers Smith.‎ They are exceptionally talented lawyers who will be fantastic in their new roles. Their appointments demonstrate the strength and depth of our market-leading Financial Services & Markets and Dispute Resolution businesses and how committed the firm is to investing further in these core areas.

I am also delighted to welcome Harriet Sayer to our stellar Pensions Sector Group. Harriet is perfect for our award-winning practice and will play an important part in the continued development of our high-calibre Pensions team and its reputation for providing first-class advice to clients."