From regulator to defense: the unique perspective of Maître Lombard-Veysset

Singular and coherent, the career of Maître Lombard-Veysset has a unique imprint. A lawyer recognized for the technicality of her practice, she has, from the beginning, been attracted by business litigation, particularly financial. From courtrooms to investigations carried out on behalf of the regulator, his practice has taught him to read between the lines of these particular files, with their complex origins and issues.

A journey shaped by complexity

It all started in 2011 in Paris, in a large international firm where Maître Lombard-Veysset cut his teeth in business litigation. She very quickly understands that the files which stimulate her are those which resist rapid reading: financial disputes, complex arrangements, multiple responsibilities. But it was in 2015 that her career took a decisive turn, when she joined the Financial Markets Authority.

For almost six years, she changed her perspective. She is no longer the one who defends, but the one who instructs and investigates. At the AMF, she intervenes on market abuse cases: insider trading, price manipulation and misleading financial communications. She also deals with cases relating to compliance with professional rules by financial players, first as assistant to the rapporteurs of the Sanctions Commission, then as an investigator.

This immersion in the heart of the most active regulator in Europe lastingly shapes her practice. She learns what the texts do not always say: the real expectations of the authorities, their way of analyzing a breach or even the signals that trigger a procedure. In 2021, when she meets Dan Benguigui, partner of the litigation & investigations team at A&O Shearman, her desire to return to the defense side is affirmed With a decisive advantage: she now knows the other side of the mirror.

Le cabinet A&O Shearman : dimension internationale et compétences ciblées

This inspiring trajectory is part of that of a firm in full transformation. A&O Shearman takes shape in 2024, following the merger of two international legal giants, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling.

In Paris, the office establishes itself as a strategic hub, notably with the team of which the lawyer is a part. It is made up of 21 professionals, working in civil and commercial matters as well as regulatory matters (the main focus of Maître Lombard-Veysset) and criminal matters. They surprise with the diversity of their profiles, offering a rare complementarity in the sector.

This collective is a great strength of the firm. The files are considered in several voices, with shared perspectives, which make it possible to anticipate the ramifications of a dispute, criminal or regulatory investigations well beyond a single issue or procedure. It is in fact this multidisciplinary, collaborative and international approach of A&O Shearman, whose offices offer a 360° full service offering in around forty countries, which allows its litigation practice to shine in the service of large companies and international financial institutions.

Financial regulation: a minefield

Julie Lombard-Veysset’s clients operate in a highly monitored environment. For banks, management companies, investment or payment service providers, subject to a plurality of regulators, the slightest failure, even involuntary or by omission, can trigger a chain reaction and hybrid exposure on regulatory, civil and criminal grounds.

A banking or financial product poorly described to investors can thus result in a sanction from the AMF, concomitant with criminal proceedings for deceptive commercial practices and civil actions for compensation. The law then becomes a balancing act where every word, every document, every internal process is scrutinized…

It is in this multifaceted context that Maître Lombard-Veysset flourishes. For her, effective defense begins well before the hearing: she takes the time to understand her clients’ activity in depth, in order to identify the different litigation risks that it may embody.

In this context, the lawyer is particularly capable of supporting clients with an informed eye in their internal investigations. These investigations are increasingly proving crucial in order to be able to build an appropriate prevention and risk management strategy. Identify flaws, correct processes, demonstrate the good faith and responsiveness of the institution financial institution concerned… These steps are often key to reestablishing a relationship of trust with regulators, authorities and customers, and to limiting the risks of sanctions or prosecution.

Illustration by example: emblematic cases

There is no shortage of emblematic cases in which she has been involved in the recent period, very often alongside Dan Benguigui. These files, whether they relate to the marketing of loans denominated in foreign currencies, the distribution of formula funds or structured products, or the suspension of UCITS short of liquidity, illustrate this mass litigation, combining criminal, civil and administrative proceedings, within which A&O Shearman has demonstrated its ability to make a difference and obtain results.

If the discreet Julie Lombard-Veysset does not wish to name things, the clients for whom she has worked and whom she assists on a daily basis know her fundamental contribution to their success.