Rowena Lewis

Full Profile

Rowena acts on a wide range of commercial and regulatory disputes and investigations.  She has particular expertise in acting for major professional services firms in relation to the defence of high value and complex disputes across all service lines (audit, tax, consulting, and deal advisory) and on regulatory investigations, in particular those brought by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and Institute for Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).    She has been involved in some of the most high profile FRC audit investigations and audit claims of recent years.

Her experience includes five years as a senior member of the Office of General Counsel at one of the Big 4 professional services firms.  During this time, amongst other things, she advised on contentious matters arising across all areas of the business, represented the firm in several FRC and ICAEW audit investigations, conducted internal investigations, and advised on a wide range of risk management issues.    

Rowena’s in-house experience means that she is well placed to understand her clients’ businesses, including the demands, pressures and expectations on those instructing her, and tailors her advice and assistance accordingly.   

Experience

• Acting for several of the major professional services firms in relation to FRC audit regulatory investigations.
• Acting for several of the major professional services firms in defending multi million pound audit and tax negligence claims.
• Acting for a professional services firm in the defence of a negligence claim relating to a Proceeds of Crime Act receivership
• Acting for a fund manager in confidential arbitration proceedings brought by the liquidators of a collapsed hedge fund.
• Advising on requests for information from third party regulators, including the FCA, SFO, Pensions Regulator and Insolvency Service, as well as overseas regulators including the US SEC and DoJ.