Sean Wells

Associate

London
sean.wells@lw.com
+44.20.7710.4662

PRACTICES

  • Capital Markets
  • Financial Regulatory

INDUSTRIES

  • Financial Institutions
  • Fintech

BAR QUALIFICATIONS

  • England and Wales (Solicitor)

EDUCATION

  • Legal Practice Course, BPP Law School, 2017
    Distinction
  • Law, University of Kent, 2016
    First Class, Faculty Prize for Outstanding Overall Degree Performance, Gardner Croft Prize for Best Negotiation Team, CEDR National Negotiation Competition Winner

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

  • English

PROFILE

Sean Wells is an associate in the London office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the global Financial Institutions Industry Group and Financial Regulatory Practice.

Sean provides regulatory advice to financial institutions on a broad range of domestic and cross-border regulatory issues in both a transactional and pure advisory context, including:

  • Time-sensitive internal regulatory investigations
  • FCA filings (including new license applications, change in controller filings, Form As, etc.)
  • The scope and application of the FCA Handbook’s rules (including COBS, SYSC, PERG, etc.)
  • The regulatory implications of transactions involving UK regulated entities

Sean is a member of the Latham & Watkins First Generation Professionals and Parent Lawyers Affinity Groups and maintains an ongoing commitment to his pro bono practice.

EXPERIENCE

Sean’s experience includes advising: 

  • A large international bank on securing FCA authorization for a new business, and the development of the new business’s systems, controls, and governance arrangements to ensure operational readiness upon launch
  • A financial services institution through an internal regulatory investigation in relation to potential market abuse offences, involving the provision of detailed MAR analysis
  • Lithia Motors, Inc. on its acquisition of the Jardine Motors Group from Jardine Matheson, and its acquisition of Pendragon plc’s motor business
  • Private equity clients on the regulatory implications of transactions involving UK regulated entities
  • Multiple clients on whistleblowing investigations
  • Multiple clients on the scope and applicability of MAR to specific transactions