Auxillias Founder profiles
Joanne “Jo” Davis
CEO & PARTNER
Jo, a qualified lawyer with a track record at Partner level in UK legal firms, works across a wide spectrum ranging from consumer credit advisory and transactional matters, through to financial services regulation and compliance to include compliance with the FCA handbook and Consumer Credit sourcebook implementation.
Jo advises firms on new product launches, and offers general regulatory advisory services, including the setup of UK finance businesses that are new to regulation and financial services in the UK, and advising on corporate governance, approved persons, and the senior managers regime. She has worked with many well-known finance providers in the automotive, asset and consumer finance and leasing industries, as well as with banks.
She also assists clients by advising on contentious matters such as asset and motor finance asset recoveries, finance litigation and dispute resolution.
Jo’s experience makes her truly authoritative and her name is regularly mentioned in the key legal directories. In the 2020 edition of Chambers UK, Jo maintained her Band 2 individual ranking in the Consumer Finance category and was praised by a client who noted:
“She provides sound, practical advice and is great attuning in to our core commercial objectives,”
“She is an open, collaborative partner with a clear desire to provide robust advice and outcomes, and who has a deep knowledge of consumer credit.”
“excellent” and noted that the team “know the space. very well and can work outside the box to develop innovative products.”
(Chambers describing a team led by Jo)
Before co-founding Auxillias Limited, most recently she led a legal team that received the Professional Services Firm of the Year Award from the International Asset Finance Network (IAFN) for the Firm’s UK Asset Finance and Leasing Division. The judges commended her leading role in auto and equipment finance, and they also recognised her work as being “at the forefront of consultations and regulatory reform”, noting “the enormous contribution made, not just to their clients, but to the wider industry.”
Over the years, Jo has led her teams to award-level performances, including:
“Top Asset Finance Legal Team of the Year” – Leasing World journal (2017 and 2016).
“Leasing Law Firm of the Year” Award (2012 and 2013).
“Asset Finance Legal Firm of the Year” – Leasing Life magazine (Highly Commended) (2013).
Jo herself has won the Leasing World “Leasing Personality of the Year” Award (2014 and 2016), and has been recognised over the years by Leasing Life as one of the most influential people in the European leasing industry on its Power 50 List. She sits on the board of the UK Leasing Foundation, the Asset Finance – Professionals Association (AF-PA) and the Fair Banking Foundation panel.
Daksha Mistry
PARTNER / COO
Daksha Mistry has worked within the Banking and Financial Services for over 20 years, working for a number of major law firms in the UK, and also as an in-house solicitor at GE Capital.
She has, in the last 7 years, worked as a Consultant supporting a number of high street banks and other financial institutions and also within the energy sector as a Mediator for the Ombudsman Services.
During her consulting period, Daksha has been involved in leading major projects, supporting businesses to complete work requiring rectification and remediations due to failure to comply with the financial services regulation. Projects involved working as a main stakeholder within the businesses in line with legal, statutory, compliance, regulatory and governance matters.
She has also been involved in many other projects such as creating new innovative regulated online financial products, ensuring digital platforms are fully compliant with statutory and legal requirements, carrying out regulatory and legal checks of post-contractual Consumer Credit documentation and ensuring that the BAU processes and procedure are fully legally compliant.
Daksha has also assisted new start-ups to launch their businesses within the financial services sector.
Additionally, Daksha has expertise in:
Consumer, asset and motor finance – credit and hire, contentious and non-contentious matters
Consumer Credit Act 1974 and secondary legislation, the FCA handbook, the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the Supply of Goods Act 1979, the Supply of Goods & Services Act 1982, the Supply of Goods (Implied Terms) Act 1973, the Hire Purchase Act 1964 and others
Writing regulated and unregulated credit and hire agreements, pre- and post-contractual documentation, terms and conditions, policies and procedures
Carrying out compliance, transactional and regulatory work
Working on remediation and rectification projects
Dealing with contentious matters – satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose, innocent purchaser and title claims
Handling complex litigation, cross border disputes, asset tracing, fraud, financial crime and investigations
Anti-money laundering – PEPS and high risk/value
Defending actions brought against banks and other financial institutions
Financial mis-selling, misrepresentation, complaints handling, section 75 claims and dealing with the Financial Ombudsman
Dispute resolution – without prejudice meetings and formal ADR mediation