Dentons Risk Consulting is led by managing directors John Davison and Christian Blackwell.

Dentons CEO for the UK and Middle East Jeremy Cohen said: “Clients increasingly want their law firms to be holistic service providers as well as trusted legal advisers. Dentons is already on the panels of many of the major global financial institutions, advising them on their biggest transactions and most complex disputes.

“Now we will be able to offer them a broader service supporting them to operationalise compliance and risk management, aligning legal and non-legal services into an overall offering.”

Mr Davison has worked for over 20 years in senior risk and compliance roles in global banking institutions as well as for the UK regulator and as a management consultant. Mr Blackwell has spent over 20 years as a management consultant, including 14 years with PwC.

Mr Davison said: “Clients look for efficient, tailored and sustainable solutions that address their specific requirements in a manner that fits their business model and is aligned with their strategic aims. Dentons’ global capabilities provide a platform from which we can deliver a truly holistic service that enables clients to meet their legal and consulting needs from one provider.”

Mr Blackwell added: “While initially focussed on UK financial services institutions, the flexibility of our model will enable us to service clients outside of this arena, such as the highly regulated and potentially high risk automotive, energy, pharmaceutical, aerospace and defence sectors. We will also be able to review the breadth of our proposition in response to changes in global regulation and economic conditions.”

Dentons UK managing director Lisa Sewell commented: “The launch of Dentons Risk Consulting follows the establishment earlier this year of our UK Regulatory and Trade group, which brought together over 20 partners with market-leading reputations across a range of regulatory disciplines.

“In response to increasing demands for stand-alone regulatory advice, both in the UK and cross-border, we are now able to provide clients with a holistic compliance and regulatory service.”