Jonathan Blair

He will be based across both WBD’s Edinburgh and London offices and joins from Lloyds Banking Group where, since 2012, he has held several roles and latterly was head of legal, business and specialist banking.

Mr Williams has a strong track record of advising on a broad range of issues in a commercial and retail banking context, including complex restructurings as well as regulatory matters, having gained significant experience on FCA and FOS matters in his role at Lloyds.

Jonathan Blair, UK managing partner at WBD, said: “We look forward to welcoming Jonny to the firm and the partnership and are delighted to have somebody of his calibre leading our financial services team.

“Jonny’s track record, his connections within the in-house legal community as well as his intimate knowledge of how banks and other financial institutions think and operate will strengthen our national offering and provide great added value to our clients.

“We have a strong financial institutions sector proposition which we are continuing to bolster particularly in Edinburgh, where more generally we continue to see opportunities for growth. Having Jonny on board reinforces our growth ambitions in the city and in the wider Scottish marketplace and recognises the importance of Edinburgh as a capital city and international hub for financial services.”

Mr Williams added: “WBD has strong credentials in the financial institutions sector with an impressive client portfolio. The firm is well positioned in this changing legal marketplace for success in the future and I am delighted to join WBD to lead and shape the further growth of the financial services team particularly in Edinburgh and Scotland.”