Dla Piper Gambling Blog Ideas
- The then former government minister couldn't have been clearer. My employee 'has no association with DLA Piper and works full time in my [parliamentary] office,' said MP Stephen Hammond in an email. He was replying to my query about Marie Stevens, who haddisclosed on parliament's then latest (at 30 May 2018) register of interests of MPs' staff her role as a consultant on gambling to the multinational law firm. (register at 30 May 2018) Ms Stevens‘ full name is Marie-Louise Stevens, wrote the senior Conservative MP, but she calls herself Louise Stevens. Yet Mr Hammond‘s answer on DLA Piper obviously begs the question: why hadMs Stevens made such a disclosure on theregister, if, as he says, it's inaccurate?
- In fact, Ms Stevens does(or at least did) have an 'association' with DLA Piper.
- Mr Hammond wrote in a later email: 'Louise worked privately out of working hours on a one-off project [for DLA Piper] which was nothing to do with her work in parliament nor was it advantaged by having a pass. It was placed on the register in error (by Louise who believed any external source of income should be declared, and not just those which are only [sic] advantaged by having a parliamentary pass) and will be removed on its next publication.'
- The next update of the register (at 11 July 2018)showed Ms Stevens with no disclosures. (register at 11 July 2018)
- Ms Stevens appears as Marie Stevens on the register, remember. The nameimmediately caught my attention: there‘s a well-known solicitor of that name who has held board positions with bookmakers including Ladbroke Group PLC (now part of GVC Holdings PLC), 888 Holdings PLC and, most recently, Sportingbet PLC. Also, from 1999 until 2004 the same Ms Stevensserved as a member of the Gaming Board for Great Britain, the predecessor to gambling regulator the Gambling Commission. Ms Stevens has been a 'regulatory consultant to [the] gaming industry, since 2004', says her Who's Who 2019 entry.
- When I first wrote to Mr Hammond, I asked whether his employee was the solicitor. The parliamentarian, who was at the time a member of the influential Treasury committee, responded: 'She [Louise Stevens]is not and has never been a solicitor. The person to whom you refer may be her mother who I have never met.' I duly wrote back to Mr Hammond saying there's a need for clarity, I believe, over the relation, if any, between solicitor Marie Stevens and Louise Stevens. Why?Louise Stevens‘disclosed role as a consultant to DLA Piper on gambling.
- Soit's reasonable to ask Mr Hammond whether the solicitor is related to his employee. And if so, how?His statement hadn't resolved the issue('may be her mother'). Therefore, I requested a clarification, apologising for prolonging the exchange. I made clear it was the final point; and wasn't abusive in any way.
- Nevertheless the then former government minister didn't answer the question. Instead Mr Hammond wrote: 'I have answered your points fully and clearly. Your last email could fairly be described as harassment. If you persist or publish anything that suggests I have acted improperly I shall report you to the relevant authorities.'
- There's no suggestion that anyone has done anything illegal. But it‘s in the public interest, I believe, to establish whether Louise Stevens is related to solicitor and 'regulatory consultant' to bookmakersMarie Stevens, given Louise Stevens‘role as a consultant to DLA Piper on gambling, while working for Mr Hammond in parliament.As everyone knows, there are many controversies around the gambling industry and its regulation. Thus links between parliamentand law firms on gambling should be scrutinised.
- Solicitor Marie Stevens didn't respond to requests for comment. (I used the email address she lists in Who's Who 2019.)
- Then there's awider point on parliamentand law firms beyond gambling. On 15 January 2017, I exclusively revealedan avoidable conflict of interest that arose for Jake Berry MPbecause of his then second job as a paid consultant to another multinational law firm, Squire Patton Boggs. Mr Berry worked for the law firm from September 2016 until June 2017, beforebecoming a government minister. Here it's not Mr Hammond who has or had a role with a law firm, of course, but his employee in parliament. But the problem is the same: law firms are opaque and secretive, so it's always unclear why exactly they're paying MPs or their staff. And without transparency, there can't be public trust and confidence.
- (For the avoidance of doubt, here transparency is necessary but not sufficient for public trust and confidence.)
- DLA Piper didn't respond to requests for comment. Therefore, not only is the law firm opaque and secretive.It'sunresponsive and unaccountable, too.
- On 16 November 2018, Mr Hammond returned to government as health minister.
Dla Piper Gambling Blog Advice
DLA Piper Brussels provides specialist strategic advice at the highest level to operators within each level in the gaming, gambling and betting industry, including payment service providers, software technology providers, licensed casinos, arcades and betting shops and foreign companies intending to enter the Belgian market, and maintains good and regular contacts with the competent authorities on both national and international level. DLA Piper gambling event will take place the day before the beginning of the ICE gaming conference in London. It has now become a tradition for legal experts, business managers and advisors to meet up for a thorough update on the development of the global gaming market. Gambling regulatory regimes are in a constant state of change.
