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Leading Silks

Michael Furness KCWilberforce Chambers 'Strong technically and great at finding practical solutions to issues.'
Brian Green KCWilberforce ChambersTop tier, at the top of his game, and an excellent creative mind.’
Paul Newman KCWilberforce Chambers 'He is an extremely clear and precise advocate in court. His opinions are commercially pragmatic and easy to read.'
Keith Rowley KCRadcliffe Chambers 'Keith is meticulous and thoughtful in his advice, particularly in preparing a case and works exceptionally well in tandem with his instructing solicitors.'
Andrew Short KCOuter Temple ChambersVery much the top silk for matters with a pensions and employment law angle; formidable intellect and sound commercial instincts.’
Andrew Spink KCOuter Temple Chambers 'He is really very good with clients, and incisive about getting to the nub of the case and equally adept at case and matter negotiation strategy.'
Nicolas Stallworthy KCOuter Temple Chambers 'Very bright and extremely diligent, leaves no stone unturned.'
Michael Tennet KCWilberforce ChambersA very safe pair of hands. Sound judgement and a calm reassuring presence.’
Keith Bryant KCOuter Temple ChambersExcellent knowledge and practical advice in relation to employment and pension law cross-over area; very clear exposition for lawyers and the lay client alike.’
Jonathan Hilliard KCWilberforce Chambers 'A real star in the making; formidable technical skills and reads a court very well.'
Richard Hitchcock KCOuter Temple Chambers 'One of the most client-friendly silks and very impressive on his feet in court. A fabulous intellect.'
Fenner Moeran KCWilberforce ChambersFenner is pragmatic, responsive, and really good with clients.’
Raquel Agnello KCErskine ChambersThe doyenne of pensions and insolvency-restructuring work.’
James Goudie KC  – 11KBW 'Razor-sharp, encyclopaedic mind, and a brilliant strategist. Always delightful to work with.'
Ben Hubble KC4 New SquareBen is an excellent barrister and a pleasure to work with. He is responsive and gives clear strategic advice, and is a calm and clear advocate.'
Farhaz Khan KC3 Verulam Buildings 'Rising star on contentious pensions disputes, very commercial and popular with clients.'
Henry Legge KC5 Stone BuildingsHenry is intellectually very strong and has real charm in court; clients love his style.'
Andrew Mold KCWilberforce Chambers 'Andrew has an excellent, clear style which helps reassure clients when dealing with extremely complex issues.'
Christopher Tidmarsh KC5 Stone Buildings 'Highly approachable and commercial. Gives a clear steer, turns advice around quickly and cost effectively.'

2023 Silks

Katherine Apps KC39 Essex Chambers 'Very thorough and she does master the detail, but also has the wider picture clearly in mind. She is very good.'

Leading Juniors

Edward SawyerWilberforce ChambersA superb draftsman and one who has a real forensic eye for points of detail.'
Lydia SeymourOuter Temple ChambersCharming, organised and reassuring. Gives excellent advice on rectifications.’
Sebastian AllenWilberforce Chambers 'Easy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.'
Fraser Campbell – Blackstone ChambersHe is a brilliant lawyer with a remarkable grasp of legal principles across a wide area. His legal thinking is full of great insight.’
Nicholas HillOuter Temple Chambers 'Responsive, technically very capable, and a great team player.'
Naomi LingOuter Temple ChambersNaomi has a strong insight, combined with outstanding analytical skills. She has really fights her clients corner.’
Saul MargoOuter Temple Chambers 'Impressive technical skills and pleasing user-friendly manner.'
Elizabeth OveyRadcliffe ChambersA keen legal mind, who can articulate complex pensions issues with precision and clarity. Counsel to have on your side.'
Henry DayRadcliffe Chambers  ‘Henry is very able. Clever, with a good strategic sense and feel for how to present arguments to best advantage.’
Wendy MathersRadcliffe Chambers 'First class advocacy skills; Wendy presents cases succinctly and is able to quickly take instructions in order to reach a solution.'
James McCreathWilberforce Chambers 'A real team player, extremely bright with excellent drafting skills.'
Saaman Pourghadiri 4 New Square 'He is a very effective junior: bright and personable with a real ability to get across detail quickly and propose well thought through strategies.'
Thomas RobinsonWilberforce ChambersTom is a leading figure for insolvency and pensions litigation, an overlap which comes up time and time again. A good strategist, his advice is well-judged and practical. He is also personable and precise.’
Philip StearOuter Temple Chambers 'An excellent technical lawyer with great ideas and the ability to really crystallise the issue.'
Michael UberoiOuter Temple Chambers 'Hard-working and bright, gaining an excellent reputation.'
James WalmsleyWilberforce Chambers 'James is a brilliant strategist. His ability to absorb vast and complex fact patterns and apply acute legal analysis to them is peerless.'
Michael AshdownWilberforce Chambers 'Michael is incredibly bright with an irrepressible enthusiasm for the finer points of the law, which is combined with an engaging advocacy style almost unusual for someone so technical.'
Chloe Bell3 Verulam BuildingsChloe is very intelligent and user friendly. She is a pleasure to work with and gets on top of issues very quickly.
Nigel Burroughs4 New Square 'Nigel is always incredibly responsive and clear in his advice, and is on top of the issues and the current case law.'
Jonathan ChewWilberforce ChambersJonathan provides brilliant support to his leaders before and during trial, as well as being assured on his own in the Court of Appeal.'
Patrick Halliday  – 11KBW 'Patrick's advice is clear and pragmatic, and he is very friendly.'
Emily McKechnieWilberforce ChambersEmily is a pleasure to work with. She is very experienced in pensions litigation. She is also extremely hard-working, and very bright.
Jennifer SeamanWilberforce Chambers 'Jenny balances clear and concise technical advice with sensible and commercial solutions to identified problems.'
Thomas SeymourWilberforce Chambers 'Fantastic researcher and team player. He continues to get better and better.'
Joseph SteadmanWilberforce ChambersOne of the brightest juniors. Intellectually very capable but wears his learning lightly.'

Pensions in London Bar

Wilberforce Chambers


Wilberforce Chambers is commended by clients for its ‘unrivalled strength in depth‘ in pensions, and in particular for the set’s expertise on ‘the most complex and challenging‘ cases. In the case of Railways Pension Scheme Trustee Ltd v Atos, a matter concerning the correct calculation of how much members should pay into “shared cost” defined benefit schemes, Brian Green KC and Edward Sawyer acted on behalf of the trustees. Paul Newman KC  is representing Newell Rubbermaid in a dispute over its conversion of defined benefit rights into define contribution scheme, with issues as to if the conversion is discriminatory on the grounds of sex.

Testimonials

‘The clerking at Wilberforce is, simply stated, second to none. Danny Smillie and Fraser Geddes deserve special mention. They understand their solicitor-clients’ needs. This is a real selling point.’

‘Across the board, the clerks are very responsive and nothing is too much trouble. Conor Michaels, in particular, stands out for his professional yet personable manner. He’s always got everything covered.’

‘The clerks are first class. Fraser Geddes is a shining light of client service, listening to and acting upon any particular clients needs and understanding the need to work closely with instructing solicitor to deliver the best possible service.’

‘The clerks are always easy to contact and deal with any administrative issues in a very efficient and friendly manner.’

‘This set is a market leader.’

‘Wilberforce have an outstanding roster of barristers for pensions. The quality is high and they will always find availability when required.’

‘Wilberforce continue to be a leading set for pensions.’

‘A broad team of impressive and talented individuals at all levels, with deep expertise in the sector, outstanding technical skill and great commercial insight.’

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Outer Temple Chambers


Outer Temple Chambers’ expansive roster of counsel is experienced in dealing with a variety of matters, such as age discrimination within pension schemes, pensions-related professional negligence claims, and Part 8 proceedings. Andrew Short KC acted in the notable and leading Britvic v Britvic Pensions & Mohun case, which involved the construction of an indexation provision. Other key work includes the joint effort of Andrew Spink KC and Philip Stear in the Atos UK IT Ltd & Ors v Atos Pension Schemes Ltd case, in which the interpretation of the funding rule of the pensions scheme was in question.

Testimonials

‘The clerks at Outer Temple are helpful and easy to contact. Nick Levett and Matt Sale deserve mention as they are always prepared to go the extra step to assist.’

‘Excellent service from all clerks. Nick Levett in particular is incredibly responsive and always puts forward an appropriate selection of counsel to consider for any particular job.’

‘Matt Sale is a particularly good clerk – always prompt to reply to queries, very happy to pick up the phone to discuss queries/ availability and always helpful/ friendly.’

‘Very good, experienced clerks who are always keen to help and are good at finding a way to accommodate requests for particular counsel.’

‘They have impressive and increasing strength-in-depth in the filed of pensions litigation.’

‘Outer Temple Chambers has always been a strong set for pensions, but has arguably become even stronger in recent times. It has strength in depth, particularly at the KC level.’

‘They have increasing strength in depth for commercial litigation and professional negligence claims with a pensions or chancery angle.’

‘We continually use the set for their deep experience in all areas of pensions law and strong advocacy skills.’

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Radcliffe Chambers


Radcliffe Chambers is described as containing ‘top notch pensions counsel‘, which includes experienced members such as Keith Rowley KC and juniors Elizabeth Ovey, Henry Day, and Wendy Mathers. The ‘strong‘ pensions experience was demonstrated in cases such as Toyota Material Handling UK Limited v Mercer Limited, in which potential professional negligence questions were raised against former benefit consultants, and CMG Pension Trustees Ltd v CGI IT UK Ltd, in which trustees sought clarification on the scheme’s forfeiture provisions and its impact on unclaimed benefits.

Testimonials

‘The clerks are always very helpful.’

‘The clerks have always been extremely helpful and responsive.’

‘Clerks were responsive and easy to reach.’

‘Radcliffe are obviously an excellent pensions set – they are very good at finding academically rigorous, enthusiastic, personable barristers.’

‘Radcliffe clearly has real strength in this area, and they work well as a team.’

‘Strong pensions practice.’

Work highlights