Herbert Smith Freehills lawyer wins City of London Solicitors’ Company 2024 Distinguished Service Award

Herbert Smith Freehills consultant Karen Anderson has been honoured with the City of London Solicitors’ Company (CLSC) Distinguished Service Award for 2024, recognising her leadership and commitment over more than a decade as Chair of the City of London Law Society’s (CLLS) Regulatory Law Committee.

Karen is a consultant in the global financial services regulatory (FSR) practice at Herbert Smith Freehills. She has more than two decades of experience in helping a wide range of financial sector clients to resolve contentious and non-contentious regulatory matters, both in the UK and overseas. Karen helps banks and brokers with a wide range of regulatory issues, including responding to reviews, attestations and inquiries, focusing particularly on market abuse, wholesale conduct, conflicts of interest, sponsor duties, investment research, and systems and controls issues.

Karen also leads the FSR horizon-scanning team at the firm, analysing new law and regulation to ensure that her clients anticipate and remain at the forefront of regulatory law and practice.

As the CLSC has recognised, under Karen's guidance as Chair of the CLLS Regulatory Law Committee, the committee navigated some of the most complex and expansive areas of law. Her tenure saw significant contributions in the realm of EU market regulatory law, banking, pensions, and financial regulation and her expertise was instrumental in managing the implementation of these intricate legal frameworks. Her leadership has been pivotal in the committee shaping and implementing post-EU regulatory law following Brexit, ensuring a smooth transition and adaptation to the evolving legal environment. Karen becomes the fourth woman to receive the award since its inception 39 years ago.

Jenny Stainsby, global head of Herbert Smith Freehills' FSR practice, commented:  "We are delighted to see Karen's fantastic contribution to financial services regulation, nationally and internationally, being recognised publicly through this award.  And we are very proud that Karen is part of our team, continuing to help shape regulation and assist clients in interpreting and applying it."