Profile details
About Michael Raffan
Michael is a partner specialising in financial services.
Michael advises the world’s leading financial institutions on strategic issues affecting their business, including group structure, governance and resolution planning. His clients include banks, payment providers, broker dealers, asset and wealth managers and market infrastructure providers.
Michael enjoys working in partnership with his clients to help them navigate complex regulatory and risk issues in a pragmatic and constructive manner to support their business objectives.
Michael led the team that advised the Bank of England throughout the global financial crisis including on its Special Liquidity Scheme (for which the team won the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Award for Legal Innovation in the Credit Crisis and the Downturn), the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bradford & Bingley and the Icelandic banks, and the recapitalisation of UK banks. More recently, he advised the Bank of England on the resolution of Silicon Valley Bank UK and UBS on its merger with Credit Suisse.
Michael joined Freshfields as a trainee in March 1992 and became a partner in May 2001. Michael led our global financial services practice until May 2024.
Recent work
- Advising the Bank of England on the resolution of Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited.
- Advising UBS on its merger with Credit Suisse.
- Advising the Bank of England on the design and implementation of the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF).
- Advising HM Treasury on the Brexit equivalence review.
- Advising leading financial institutions on the implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU including licensing issues, restructuring and migrating clients.
- Advising leading financial institutions of governance structures and related issues.
- Advising global systemically important financial institutions on resolution planning including the preparation of plans and conducting tabletop exercises for boards.
- Advising leading financial institutions on regulatory implementation projects including MiFID 2, the UK Senior Managers and Certification Regime and the Market Abuse Regulation.
- Advising HSBC and J.P. Morgan on corporate cash pooling and virtual account products.
- Advising BT and Visa on development and governance of new payment products.
- Advising Visa on its acquisition of Earthport plc and Tink.
- Advising Visa on the Payment Systems Regulator's market reviews into cross-bprder interchange fees and scheme and processing fees.
- Advising the London Stock Exchange Group on its acquisition of Refinitiv.
Qualifications
Education
- King’s College, London (LLB (Hons), AKC)
Professional qualifications
- Solicitor of the UK Supreme Court (admitted in 1994)