Pensions Advisory

Our team advises employers and trustees on all areas of pensions law. This includes corporate activity, scheme change, consolidation and risk transfer projects, complex technical areas such as GMP equalisation, and scheme documentation and communications.

We support clients with member complaints and disputes under their own schemes and defend claims made to the Pensions Ombudsman (see our Pension Disputes page for more). Clients value our advice because we are pragmatic and responsive. We give clear answers and always do what we promise, on time.

We stay up to date with changes in legislation, regulation, and industry practice so we can share our knowledge with you. Our goal is to make pensions law as simple as possible. We always look for new and better ways to give advice and offer innovative solutions to our clients.

• Advised on a project to terminate and wind up a defined contribution section of a hybrid pension scheme. We advised on project feasibility, legal requirements and necessary steps to ensure that a significant statutory pension debt was not triggered for the defined benefit section of the scheme.
• Advised on a proposed intra-group merger of two hybrid schemes, resulting in the creation of an enlarged multi-billion-pound scheme. There were complex financial and legal issues regarding covenant, statutory employers and disposals.
• Advised a listed plc on a major group restructuring, ensuring no statutory debts were triggered on over 10 group companies due to changes in their participation in two defined benefit pension schemes (including one industry-wide scheme).