Carmen Abela

Carmen works as Compliance Manager at Judge & Priestley, leading the firm’s Compliance Team and overseeing regulatory and risk management matters across the business.

Experience

Carmen brings over 20 years’ experience from within Judge & Priestley’s Credit Solutions Department, where she worked with a wide range of clients including utility suppliers and finance companies. Her focus on compliance within these sectors provided a strong foundation for her transition into the firm’s central Compliance Team.

Now heading up the team, Carmen is responsible for ensuring the firm’s compliance with all regulatory requirements, including those imposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). She has played a key role in embedding Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations across the firm and works closely with the Property and Private Client teams to ensure ongoing compliance.

Carmen also oversees the firm’s Lexcel accreditation, the Law Society’s quality mark for excellence in legal practice management and client care, which has been maintained without any major or minor non-compliances. In addition, she acts as the firm’s Data Protection Officer, working alongside the Information Security Team to ensure compliance with UK GDPR, as well as maintaining ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditations.

Outside of work

Carmen spends as much time travelling as she can, with an aim to visit at least 2 new countries a year, both in Europe and worldwide. Her favourite countries to date are Vietnam and Cambodia. She is also a big live music fan, attending gigs and festivals around the country as well as abroad.

Accreditations