Top 50 UK and Ireland firm Browne Jacobson has appointed Oliver Sweeney as general counsel, a newly created role to help bolster its internal legal and compliance functions.

Sweeney returns to Browne Jacobson – the firm where he started his career back in 2004 – from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), where he was head of legal and enforcement. At Browne Jacobson he will be responsible for risk and compliance and providing legal guidance to the firm’s leadership team, serving as compliance officer for legal practice and money laundering reporting officer. He will report to the firm’s chief financial officer Andy Stephens.

Stephens said: “We are thrilled to welcome Oliver to Browne Jacobson in this pivotal new role. His wealth of experience, particularly his tenure as head of legal and enforcement at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, makes him uniquely qualified to guide our firm through the complex legal and regulatory landscape. Oliver’s appointment as our first general counsel reflects our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of legal practice and ethical conduct.”

Sweeney spent four-and-a-half years at the SRA, including a spell as head of legal policy. Prior to that he was GC at the Gambling Commission and a legal counsel at the Phone-paid Services Authority, the UK’s regulator of phone-paid services. He previously worked in private practice at Kingsley Napley and close to a decade at Browne Jacobson before that, specialising in disputes and regulatory non-compliance.

He said: “Having spent the last decade working at the heart of regulation and compliance, including at the SRA, I’m looking forward to bringing these insights to Browne Jacobson as its first general counsel.

“The firm has a clear vision for growth and innovation, and I’m passionate about working with its talented teams to strengthen the risk and compliance framework while supporting these ambitions. The legal landscape continues to evolve rapidly, and I’m committed to ensuring we continue to set the highest standards in legal practice and ethical conduct.”

Other firms that have added GCs to their ranks include US firm Nixon Peabody, which last year hired William Connolly to head up its internal legal department from Salary.com.