Irwin Mitchell boosts its financial regulatory capability following senior hire

Irwin Mitchell has expanded its Banking & Finance offering with the appointment of highly experienced financial services regulatory lawyer Sheelagh Killen, as the firm continues to invest in strengthening specialist support for regulated clients.

Sheelagh joins from the Bank of England, where she most recently held a senior role leading technical regulatory training for Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) supervisors. She brings more than a decade of experience working within UK financial services regulation, having previously held varied legal roles at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the PRA and the former Financial Services Authority (FSA).

Sheelagh will work closely with colleagues and clients in London and across the UK.

Her appointment significantly enhances the firm’s regulatory capability across financial services, restructuring and insolvency, insurance and pensions, supporting clients operating in increasingly complex and fast moving regulatory environments. Sheelagh’s background as a legal adviser inside the regulator gives her deep insight into supervisory expectations, policy development and enforcement decision making, enabling her to provide pragmatic, regulator informed advice.

Sheelagh qualified as a solicitor in 2009 after training with a City firm, following an earlier career as a chartered accountant in banking and finance. Her regulatory career has predominantly focused on advising as legal counsel, alongside experience in regulatory supervision and technical training. She also has a strong interest in ESG and sustainability related regulation, reflecting regulators’ increasing focus on climate and governance issues.

Paddy Sturman, national head of Banking & Finance at Irwin Mitchell, said:

“Sheelagh’s arrival reflects our continued investment in the depth and breadth of our financial services regulatory capability. Her experience from within the regulator is exceptional and will be a real asset to clients navigating complex regulatory change. She will play an important role in supporting our work across financial services, restructuring and insolvency, insurance and pensions.”

Sheelagh added:

“Having worked for many years inside the UK’s financial services regulators, I have seen first hand how regulatory expectations are shaped and applied in practice. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues at Irwin Mitchell to help clients engage confidently with regulators and manage regulatory risk in a commercial way.”