Sarah Thompson

Sarah Thompson is a financial services regulatory partner at Arthur Cox.

Sarah has experience in advising a broad range of clients on financial regulation matters and is admitted to practice in Northern Ireland, Ireland and England & Wales. Prior to joining Arthur Cox, Sarah worked in London as a member of the Financial Regulation Group of Linklaters LLP and a partner in the Financial Services Regulatory team of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP.

Relevant Experience

Sarah advises on Central Bank of Ireland authorisation processes, perimeter issues, ongoing compliance with conduct of business and other requirements (with a special focus on ESG matters and on the upcoming Individual Accountability Framework and the Senior Executive Accountability Regime, IAF/SEAR), and financial institution M&A.

Prior to joining Arthur Cox, Sarah’s experience included:

• Advising on the application of EU legislation such as the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II), the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)
• Advising on regulatory requirements and procedures under the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, including applications for permission and change in controller applications
• Managing the financial regulation matters on cross border M&A transactions, including:
  • advising on the integration considerations associated with a global investment organisation’s c. $1.8 billion combination with a leading global real estate investment manager; and
  • managing the AIFMD filings in connection with a private equity consortium’s c.CHF 10.2 billion acquisition of a global skincare company
• Advising on regulatory engagement including in respect of Prudential Regulation Authority / Financial Conduct Authority rule breaches, regulatory investigations and enforcement actions.