Kavita Popat

• Lead counsel for all contracts and procurement matters providing legal review, negotiation, and drafting of contracts for favorable contract terms with third party vendors within tight timescales.
• Independently managed litigation files by reviewing and drafting responses to pre-action correspondence, defence pleadings and advising internal clients on litigation strategy.
• Effectively instructed outside counsel when matters escalated to claim stage and attended court hearings providing instructions to counsel. Ensured external legal costs were kept within budget and developed subject matter expertise to minimise the need for instructing outside counsel.
• Project leader for contract matters on the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the business to ensure compliance with new privacy laws were embedded into the processes for all areas of the business.
• Supervised and mentored 3 junior legal counsel and 3 paralegals/trainee lawyers. Met weekly to share advice/best practices, review work and give regular feedback to help them succeed in the role.
• Delivered regular in person training sessions to over 100 Ombudsmen and monthly training sessions for all staff on relevant financial services law and regulation which reduced litigation risk and referral of straightforward matters to the legal team.
• Communicated and collaborated orally and in writing with lawyers at the Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England, and Financial Services Compensation Scheme to share knowledge on common legal issues arising.

• Tracked and researched developing precedent and legislation in UK and EU financial services law law to provide sound and pragmatic legal advice.
• Assisted in complex judicial review litigation through all stages of litigation engaging with clients and subject matter experts. Kept all parties updated throughout the litigation process.

• Collaborated with the internal procurement team and external specialist lawyers to negotiate and draft complex IT and consulting outsourcing contracts to ensure compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

• Advised internal clients on the applicable law when considering whether claims should be accepted under the COMP rules in the FCA Handbook.

• Presented conclusions in clear and concise language that was easily understood by all parties involved in the adjudication process. Effectively managed a large case load of over 50 banking complaints per month with the aim of resolving disputes fairly and quickly through mediation. Presented adjudication decisions in clear and concise language.
• Consistently exceeded targets for the number of cases closed and timeliness, whilst maintaining high quality of decision making.

• Summarized depositions, legal documents and other material to provide attorney with relevant material for cases.
• Ensured compliance with court rules and procedures by accurately preparing and submitting legal filings within established timeframes.
• Saved firm resources by conducting cost-effective legal research using Lexis Nexis.