John Ahern joins Watson Farley & Williams as a partner in London

John Ahern joins Watson Farley & Williams as a partner in London

He focuses on the regulation of banks and financial institutions

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has announced that financial services regulatory expert John Ahern has joined the firm as a partner in London to bolster the firm's regulatory practice.

Dual-qualified in England & Wales and Ireland, Ahern has over 30 years of experience in the UK, European and Asian financial markets. His practice focuses on the regulation of banks and other financial institutions regulated by the EU and UK prudential.

Chris Kilburn, the London corporate and M&A group head and partner commented, "I am delighted to welcome Ahern to WFW. Financial services regulation has been an area of increasing focus to our international clients and his deep expertise and ability to provide high-quality advice across a broad range of regulations throughout the EU and the UK will be a great benefit to the firm and our clients."

Ahern remarked, "I am thrilled to be joining WFW to reinforce its financial services regulatory practice. The firm's strong bank finance background and focus on energy and transport present considerable financial services regulatory-related challenges and opportunities that will complement my practice and clients."

Athens advises on EU and UK financial services regulation including MIFID, Market Abuse Directive, EMIR, CRR and the Payment Services Directive. With a particular focus on the prudential regulation of banks and investment firms, he guides on the EU Capital Requirements Regulation and related measures.

His clients include banks, multilateral trading facilities, broker-dealers, asset managers and investment advisors. He is an active practitioner within the industry and is a member of SIMA's board.