Adam Blair

Adam Blair

Adam Blair

London, U.K.

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Adam Blair joined Cleveland & Co in July 2024 as a Senior Legal Counsel.  He supports our EMEA team primarily on financial services regulation matters.

 

Adam is a UK qualified lawyer with 15+ years of experience.  He was previously Executive Director at a US-headquartered investment manager, where he advised on EMEA and international legal/regulatory issues and implemented the firm’s local and global compliance programs.  He also spent several years in private practice at a London law firm, advising a broad spectrum of clients on UK and EU regulation over a period of wholesale regulatory/industry change (including AIFMD, MiFID2, SMCR, Brexit and the FCA’s Consumer Duty).

Adam seeks to collaboratively partner with clients and colleagues alike, thus delivering practical, well-informed recommendations.  In his spare time, Adam enjoys fitness and wellbeing, wine tasting and travelling to new countries.

Expertise

Adam has developed a variety of skills, specifically in relation to:

  • ACD Arrangements
  • AIFMD
  • AIFMs
  • AIFs
  • AIFs Appointed Representative Arrangements
  • Appointed Representative Arrangements
  • Broker Agreements
  • CISs
  • Compliance
  • Corporate Governance
  • Cross Border Marketing Rules
  • Cross-Border Legal Requirements
  • Distribution Agreements
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Due Diligence and Vendor Due Diligence
  • EU Financial Services Regulation
  • Financial Services Legislation (including: Capital Adequacy, Consumer Duty, MiFID II, Remuneration Rules, SFDR)
  • Financial Services Regulation
  • Fund Governance
  • Intra-group Agreements
  • Introducer Arrangements
  • ManCos
  • Marketing and Pre-Marketing Rules
  • MiFID I
  • Outsourcing
  • Perimeter Advice
  • Platform Agreements
  • Preparing and Submitting FCA Applications
  • Regulatory & Compliance
  • Remuneration Rules
  • UK & EU Financial Services Legislation

Experience

Adam previously worked for Simmons & Simmons as a Supervising Associate and later a consultant, and moved to an Executive Director, Legal and Compliance role at AQR Capital Management.

Qualifications

  • LLB in Law with American Law, University of East Anglia, 2006

  • Legal Practice Course, The University of Law, 2007

Languages

  • English

Argyro Leoutsea

Argyro Leoutsea

Argyro Leoutsea joined Cleveland & Co in 2022 to support the financial services and general corporate and commercial team. Throughout her career, Argyro has developed an in-depth expertise of banking, corporate, including corporate governance, M&A, securities and financial law. She has represented hundreds of Greek based and international companies and banks at all stages of their life cycle as well as investment services companies, private equity firms, funds and other institutional investors.

Argyro is proficient in negotiating, presenting, and resolving complex legal issues, researching and calculating possible risk factors while efficiently determining appropriate courses of action. As a common law educated lawyer with significant civil law experience, Argyro has become a flexible, motivated and business oriented advisor. When off work, she craves to dance and staying fit while trying to keep up with her active children

Expertise

Argyro has developed a variety of skills namely in relation to:

  • AIFs, RAIF, UCITS, SEIS/EIS passporting
  • Capital Markets
  • Company Secretarial
  • Corporate and commercial contracts
  • Corporate Governance
  • Custodian services and CSDs
  • Debt arrangements and restructuring
  • EU Financial Services Regulation
  • FinTech
  • Legal Research
  • Listing on Exchanges
  • M&A
  • Regulated services contracts including introducers agreements, brokerage agreements, distribution agreements, investment advice and management
  • Regulatory & Compliance

Experience

  • Wethaq (Capital Markets) Ltd, UAE: Head of Corporate & Compliance in a UAE based DFSA regulated Fintech building infrastructure for the issuance and administration of securities with Islamic characteristics. Held a multifunctional role involving among others regulatory compliance, dealing with day to day corporate matters but also complex commercial arrangements of the company with its partners and clients, corporate secretary duties, communication with external lawyers and auditors.
  • Tsibanoulis & Partners Law Firm, Athens : As a Partner, Argyro advised on a broad range of general and specialised capital markets, corporate, corporate finance and transactional matters in various projects from day one till completion. Heavily involved in numerous privatisation projects of State-owned companies and the consolidation of the Greek banking sector.
  • Seconded Associate, Goldberg Kohn Attorneys at Law, Chicago, IL: Worked as a secondee on financing and lending transactions, restructuring and corporate law, assisted partners with commercial due-diligence and bankruptcies, reorganizations, sales and liquidations, as well as out-of-court settlements.
  • Emporiki Bank (now Alpha Bank), Athens: Provided support for and handled litigation matters, including court and out-of-court filings, in Business Loans Litigation Department, Legal Services Directorate. Filed, tracked and maintained files. Prepared and drafted correspondence and assisted with ad hoc legal projects on an as-needed basis.

Professional Appointments/Memberships

  • Hellenic Bankers Association UK
  • Hellenic Law Association (UK)

Qualifications

  • Qualified as a lawyer in Greece (Athens Bar Association)
  • Registered as a Foreign Lawyer with the SRA
  • LL.B. in English Law (University of Essex)
  • LL.M in Corporate and Commercial Law (University College London)

Languages

  • English
  • French
  • Greek

Our People