Pensions

Giving clients peace of mind in a complex area



In a complex area of law, we aim to remove risk and uncertainty associated with pensions, understanding your objectives and helping to build a long-term plan to reach them.

Summary

Planning ahead is the mark of the astute thinker. We provide the deep expertise and ability to make your pensions planning stand out. Our clients enjoy working with only experienced partners handling their matters, and having the certainty of our fixed fee approach without the fear of the ‘ticking clock’. You’ll work with lawyers without billing targets, whose interests are truly aligned with achieving the best outcome for you. Lawyers who have authored a number of articles, worked with LexisNexis and written TUPE — Law and Practice (Spiramus Press) — bringing you the very best in advice.

We offer pragmatic and commercial pensions advice together with a collaborative approach with key stakeholders and advisers. Able to offer expertise in the pensions aspects of M&A, trustee and corporate side advice, investments, pension disputes, litigation and public sector issues, we cover London and the regions.

We frequently advise companies (particularly Finance Directors, Managing Directors and HR Directors), pension scheme Trustees, banks and Law firms that do not have an internal pensions team.

Our pension legal services are complemented (although never on the same scheme) by the provision of professional trustee services through gcTrustees Limited. This enhances our ability to understand our clients, broadens our market knowledge and presence in the industry and deepens our relationships with pension scheme professionals to ensure the best outcomes for the schemes we work on.

Common issues we solve for our clients

  • De-risking pension schemes
  • Minimising risk for companies caused by pensions schemes in corporate sales and acquisitions
  • Giving legal certainty on pension scheme issues
  • Resolving disputes involving members, trustees and companies
  • Pensions documentation updates
  • Pension scheme benefit re-design
  • Advising contractors on pension implications of local government outsourcing
  • Advising pension trustees on master trust scheme regulation and compliance

Notable matters our partners have worked on

  • £2.4 billion buy-out of Phillips pension scheme
  • High Court and Supreme Court cases relating to the exercise of Trustee discretions and part-time workers
  • Advised Kamco Ltd, a participating employer of the Plumbing Pension Scheme, in relation to a pension litigation matter, against the Trustee of the Plumbing Pension Scheme.
  • Supporting one of our corporate partners advising our seller client, Busy Bee Cleaning Services Ltd (BBCS), on a £10.5m share sale to Just Ask.
  • Advised the Kennel Club Limited on the closure of the £23m Kennel Club Staff Pension Scheme to the accrual of future service benefits.
  • Advised the trustee of the £208m TWIL Group Pension Fund (scheme sponsor — Betafence Limited / Praesidiad Group) on specific terms of scheme benefits’ history since commencement of the scheme trust in 1974.
  • Defended an individual in the Upper Tribunal of the High Court against a Contribution Notice issued by the Pensions Regulator in respect of a £5.5m pension scheme which is in the Pension Protection Fund — Contribution Notices are very rarely imposed by the Pensions Regulator but almost always appealed.
  • Acted for a circa £50m buyout of pension scheme liabilities including the first insurance company buyout of benefits equalised for GMPs with Legal and General.

Who have our partners worked with?

  • Trustees of the Nike (UK) Ltd Retirement Benefit Scheme
  • Brit Pension Trustee Limited (trustee of the Brit Group Services Retirement Benefits Scheme)

Client testimonials

His advice is always rooted in practical common sense… He has an open and engaging manner in trustee meetings and encourages input and participation from the trustees themselves.

Wyn has been described as being calm, focused and wise; a towering intellect coupled with pragmatism, empathy and common sense make an exceptional combination.

News and Insights from our Partners


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