We help trustees on all issues from compliance to engaging with employers over funding issues or responding to corporate activity. Our experience includes:

• Helping to resolve member complaints
• Benefit corrections and recovering overpayments
• Funding negotiations and putting in place continent assets
• Dealing with the Pensions Regulator
• Data protection compliance and dealing with data subject access requests

We help employers with a range of pension issues such as:

• Funding of defined benefit schemes – assisting with negotiations for actuarial valuations, including setting up contingent assets and advising on relevant provisions
• Scheme changes – including transitions from final salary to CARE or defined contribution, increasing member contributions, capping pensionable salary and closure
• Corporate activity/refinancing– negotiating with trustees when employers are seeking clearance from the Pensions Regulator or needing reassurance on their actions.

We have a team of pension and tax lawyers who advise on matters including:

• Dealing with incorrect payment of tax/NICs where a pensions salary sacrifice arrangement was managed incorrectly
• Treatment of correction payments and interest
• Tax implications of regularising overpayments

We work with trustees, sponsors and one of the leading bulk annuity insurers, so we understand these deals from every angle – providing market insights, clear advice on contractual terms, smooth negotiations and effective risk mitigation throughout. We advise on transactions of all sizes and adapt to your specific needs. 

Our specialism is bespoke deals, including those with with complex premium payment methods, collateral arrangements and tailored benefit structures like salary linkage and fixed factors. Your projects will gain from our collaborative way of working with benefit consultants and administrators. 

We support schemes through the whole process, from buy-in and data cleanse to buyout and wind up, advising on trustee protections for risks at wind up and surplus distribution.

We deliver successful outcomes for all types of pension disputes including professional negligence claims, pension liberation and fraud cases, pension related warranty and indemnity claims, ombudsman claims and all aspects of pension related court applications.

• Setting up new SIPPs, SSASs & QROPSs – including assistance with formal legal documents, marketing literature, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) application process, HMRC requirements, and training on operational and regulatory compliance
• Legal compliance and governance – including FCA/TPR compliance, trust and fiduciary duties, governance, pension taxation, outsourcing and third-party service provider arrangements and scheme changes
• Buying or selling a pensions business – we have decades of experience acting for both buyers and sellers, including SIPP and SSAS providers and portfolios, pensions consultancies, financial advisers and platform and wealth managers
• Going digital – our specialist digital and payments teams help overcome the various legal and regulatory challenges of turning the humble pension into an effective and compliant digital proposition.

We advise on a wide range of legal issues involving public sector schemes including the Civil Service Pension Scheme, the Local Government Pension Scheme and the NHS Pension Scheme. We advise on first and subsequent generation outsourcing contracts taking account of government policies such as the Fair Deal guidance and the Best Value Direction. We also advise on private sector schemes which mirror public sector schemes established with 'GAD passports' and schemes for privatised industries, including rail and electricity where knowledge of the relevant pension protection regulations is key. 

We have a team of pension investment, ESG, and funds experts who work together seamlessly to provide advice on pension fund investments including:

• Investment document reviews
• ESG reporting and obligations
• Other compliance matters such as employer related investment and borrowing
• Fund management and custodian agreements
• LDI arrangements
• Fiduciary management agreements
• Trustee investment duties