Sian Jones

Sian is an Associate in the Regulatory team and has practised exclusively in this field since 2010.
 

Sian is a defence lawyer and is instructed to act on behalf of professionals across all regulated sectors, including the legal, finance and health sectors. Sian advises on all aspects of a professional’s regulatory obligations and responsibilities, in anticipation of disciplinary investigations as well as providing advice in order to avoid them.

Sian frequently advises professionals when they are facing allegations of serious breaches of professional guidelines or in cases of alleged misconduct, including allegations of dishonesty and breaches of professional boundaries.

In the legal sector Sian mainly acts for solicitors and firms in respect of investigations commenced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). She has also advised on disclosure obligations and compliance with the SRA Standards and Regulations (STaRs), challenging section 43 Orders and applications for admission where character and suitability is called into question. She has been instructed to advise firms and individuals in respect of complaints and investigations into sexual misconduct following the #MeToo movement. More recently, she has been advising solicitors who wish to practise on their own as freelance solicitors following amendments to the STaRs in November 2019.

In the finance sector, Sian acts for accountants regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Sian has also been instructed to advise loss adjusters regulated by the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA) and surveyors regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

In the health and social care sector, Sian has acted for dentists, doctors and nurses. However, Sian has developed a niche practice defending psychotherapists, psychoanalysts and counsellors in proceedings brought by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC), Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) and the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research (CFAR).

Sian also has experience of advising regulated professionals under criminal investigation in anticipation of subsequent regulatory proceedings. These are often complex and sensitive cases. Sian has a well-deserved reputation for robustly challenging regulators whilst at same time, helping her clients to manage the unknown, unfamiliar and unnerving situation they find themselves in.

Sian’s experience in working both for and against regulators means that she is uniquely placed to identify the most effective ways to secure a favourable outcome for her clients. Sian understands all dimensions of the disciplinary process, enabling her to take effective strategic decisions as to the investigation and presentation of a case. Sian’s clients benefit from her fastidious and meticulous approach ensuring that every possible avenue is explored.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND MEMBERSHIPS

• The Law Society
• Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers (ARDL)
• The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn
• Bar Council

Published work

• Social media tips for lawyers PLC Magazine, June 2019
• 'White & Case: the shape of things to come in SDT cases?' The Law Society Gazette, September 2017
• 'Duplication of enforcement' The Law Society Gazette, January 2017
• 'Close the loophole on therapists and counsellors', HSJ, November 2014