Partner and London office head Andrew Lyon has been appointed head of financial services at TLT.

Andrew has been at the firm for 11 years and leads the financial services disputes and investigations team in London. He specialises in complex financial services disputes including professional negligence and fraud claims, business and corporate recovery, product mis-selling claims and bank security issues and is independently recognised as a leader in his field by Chambers & Partners UK.

As sector head, Andrew will lead the growth and expansion of the UK-wide financial services team. The team supports the UK’s major clearing banks, building societies, specialist lenders and foreign banks as well as the UK’s growing payments and fintech sector – a rapidly growing segment of the market driven by regulatory changes including Open Banking and PSD2, and technology innovation.

TLT supports its financial services clients with a full range of contentious and non-contentious legal needs, with offices in all three UK legal jurisdictions including in Belfast, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Manchester.

In addition to his new role, Andrew will continue to serve as the location head for TLT’s London office, which has grown significantly in recent years.

Andrew Lyon, partner and head of financial services at TLT, says: “The financial services market is evolving rapidly – driven by a range of issues from disruptive regulation like Open Banking and PSD2 and the fight against financial crime, to technology innovation – and we’ve been working hand in hand with clients to help them understand and address the challenges and opportunities this creates. Our recent growth across all UK jurisdictions and in traditional and new markets reflects this shift in the industry, and we continue to see opportunities to grow and expand the team.”

David Pester, managing partner at TLT, added: “Our renowned and trusted expertise in financial services and banking provides a powerful platform for the next phase of growth. Andrew’s leadership will no doubt play a significant role in achieving our ambitions.”

Andrew assumes the role from Richard Waller, who remains a partner at the firm.

Andrew’s appointment follows a spate of recent high-profile hires within TLT’s UK-wide financial services team, as it continues to reinforce its position as a trusted legal advisor to the evolving sector. Recent partner appointments include Michael Ruck, formerly of Pinsent Masons and the FCA’s enforcement and market oversight division; fintech and payments expert Tim Waller, who joined from FTSE 250 payments group Paysafe; and banking partner Douglas Gourlay, formerly of Weightmans.