Remuneration and employment issues | Pensions training

Our 20-strong Pensions team offers advice which is both commercial and industry specific. Working from our major business centres, the team advises on all aspects of pension scheme regulation, management and restructuring. The team also acts for a number of scheme trustees. Acting for some of the largest schemes in the UK, the team has advised on some of the most significant mergers of schemes.

We have a dedicated pensions litigation team which has wide experience of acting for employers, scheme trustees and insolvency practitioners. The team also has expertise in handling substantial multiparty litigation and Pensions Ombudsman cases.

Scheme advice
The team offers advice to pension schemes on all relevant matters. We hold numerous appointments to provide independent advice to trustees and are often called upon to advise in cases of actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Corporate advice
The Pensions team advises on corporate transactions where pensions are an issue, including due diligence reports, drafting and negotiation of pension transfer provisions, warranties and indemnities, and "predator protection" provisions.

Pensions litigation
Our dedicated pensions litigation team of specialist lawyers handles pensions litigation for employers, scheme trustees and insolvency practitioners. We also have expertise in handling substantial multiparty Pensions Ombudsman cases.

Remuneration and employment issues
The team advises extensively on the pensions aspects of executive remuneration planning, Small Self- Administered Schemes (SSASs), Self-Invested Pension Plans (SIPPs) and other approved and unapproved top-up schemes.

Pensions training
We design pensions training programmes both as part of our public conference programme and on a bespoke basis for delivery to clients in-house.

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Examples of our work

• advising on several billion pound (GBP) scheme mergers representing either trustees or corporates
• drafting and interpreting trust deeds and rules
• providing independent advice to scheme trustees and advising in cases of actual or potential conflict of interest
• drafting pension scheme documentation for final salary, money purchase and hybrid occupational pension schemes
• conversion of schemes from final salary to money purchase
• legal aspects of pension fund investment including the drafting and negotiation of investment management agreements, custodian agreements, stock lending agreements and establishing and advising in connection with common investment funds
• pensions aspects of corporate transactions, including due diligence, drafting and negotiation of pensions transfer provisions, warranties and indemnities including "predator protection" in connection with take-overs
• advice in respect of SSAS/SIPP documentation

Our clients
Our clients include: Allied Domecq Pension Funds, BASF, Ciba Specialty Chemicals Plc Pension Scheme, Corus Engineering Steels, Du Pont (UK) Pension Fund, Electricity Supply Pension Scheme (Five Sections), Medical Research Council Pension Scheme, Novartis UK Pension Scheme, Royal Liver Assurance Limited, Royal Insurance Group Pension Scheme, Trinity Retirement Benefit Scheme, Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited.
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