Laura Norris

Professional Support Lawyer (Solicitor), Eversheds Sutherland

Laura is a Principal Associate Professional Support Lawyer (PSL) at Eversheds Sutherland in their Litigation and Dispute Management Group.

In her PSL role, Laura keeps lawyers and clients at the forefront of legal and regulatory developments. She provides strategic technical advice, manages risk, and designs and delivers training for lawyers at all levels. Laura also plays a key role in supporting a number of the firm’s strategic client relationships, delivering tailored horizon scanning, briefings and bespoke training on emerging dispute risks.

Laura brings significant frontline experience to her role, having spent many years acting for banks and other financial institutions on complex, high‑value disputes as well as large-scale mass claims, particularly in the consumer credit sphere. She has also substantial experience advising on and handling complaints before the Financial Ombudsman Service, and closely tracks and advises on ongoing and proposed reforms to the FOS regime and their impact on complaints handling and litigation risk for financial institutions.

In addition, Laura has deep experience in pensions trust litigation, including advising on the construction and rectification of scheme documentation, professional negligence claims arising from defective benefit amendments, and complaints before the Pensions Ombudsman.

Contributed to

3

FCA regulation of claims management companies—essentials

Practice Notes

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the regulator of claims management companies (CMCs) established or serving customers in England, Wales and Scotland. At the same time, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has responsibility for resolving complaints about CMCs. This Practice Note provides information on the FCA’s regulation of CMCs, the FCA’s authorisation process and supervisory approach to CMCs, and the parts of the FCA Handbook applicable to CMCs. It also provides historical information on the transfer of the regulation of CMCs from the Claims Management Regulation Unit within the Ministry of Justice to the FCA in April 2019.

Financial Services

SM&CR—essentials for claims management companies

Practice Notes

This Practice Note considers the application of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR) to claims management companies (CMCs). It sets out how the SM&CR applies to the claims management sector, including the relevance of a CMC’s regulatory classification, and the application of the Senior Managers Regime, the Certification Regime, relevant fit and proper requirements, the Conduct Rules and the consequences of breaching the SM&CR. It also sets out the transitional arrangements and key dates applicable to the SM&CR’s application to CMCs.

Financial Services

The FCA Consumer Duty—implications for CMCs

Practice Notes

This Practice Note considers two impacts of the Consumer Duty on claims management companies (CMCs): firstly, how the Consumer Duty applies to CMCs; including how CMCs are within scope of the Duty, sectoral considerations in respect of each cross-cutting obligation and each of the four customer outcomes; and how FCA concerns—both historical and present—have translated into the FCA’s expectations for CMCs in meeting the Consumer Duty; secondly, it considers how CMCs will make use of the Consumer Duty to advance claims.

Financial Services