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Leading Silks

Michael Furness KCWilberforce Chambers 'Approachable, affable, hard working, gets into the detail.'
Brian Green KCWilberforce Chambers ‘Put simply, Brian is the leading pensions silk. He is breathtakingly impressive in every aspect of his work.’
Paul Newman KCWilberforce Chambers ‘Paul’s vast knowledge and experience of all forms of pensions litigation make him a top choice to advise on technical matters.'
Keith Rowley KCRadcliffe Chambers ‘A leading pensions law counsel who is able to tackle the most complicated questions and issues of pensions law.’
Andrew Short KCOuter Temple Chambers ‘Andrew is is a pleasure to work with, very thorough, knowledgeable and tactically astute. His advocacy is clear and authoritative - he always has the ear of the court.’
Andrew Spink KCOuter Temple Chambers ‘A formidable advocate - one of the best at the pensions Bar.’
Nicolas Stallworthy KCOuter Temple Chambers ‘A fantastic lawyer and a pleasure to work with, Nicolas has a superb courtroom manner and is an advocate judges really listen to. He is also an excellent technician on detailed pensions matters.'
Michael Tennet KCWilberforce Chambers ‘He is very able, has very sound judgement and brings to his work an admirable pragmatism, too. Hugely clever, invested in the case, an energetic, fearless and effective advocate.’
Keith Bryant KCOuter Temple Chambers 'Cool, calm and collected, Keith gives the impression he has seen it all before and knows exactly how things will play out. Very pragmatic and on the front foot when it comes to preparation.'
Jonathan Hilliard KCWilberforce Chambers ‘Jonathan is very bright, delivering clear and decisive advice. He has moved swiftly through the ranks to establish himself as a leading pensions KC.’
Richard Hitchcock KCOuter Temple Chambers ‘Supremely bright, technically on the ball, unflappable under pressure, brilliant on his feet, pragmatic and loved by clients - the consummate all-rounder.’
Fenner Moeran KCWilberforce Chambers ‘Fenner is a great advocate who really has the ear of the court, judging to perfection how to handle a hearing. His drafting is always first-rate and he delivers everything with the utmost efficiency.’
Raquel Agnello KCErskine Chambers 'Very effective advocate and very responsive.'
James Goudie KC  – 11KBW ‘James is the golden eagle of the London Bar. He has the rare combination: forensic analysis, encyclopaedic knowledge and never losing sight of the bigger picture.’
Ben Hubble KC4 New Square ‘Very bright, commercially astute, and a good team player.'
Farhaz Khan KC3 Verulam Buildings ‘Confident, analytical and an excellent tactician.’
Henry Legge KC5 Stone Buildings ‘A formidable lateral thinker, able to formulate arguments outside the box which others had not alighted on. Very easy to work with and successfully straddles pensions, private client and fine art work.’
Andrew Mold KCWilberforce Chambers ‘Andrew is able to give very clear advice and distil complex issues into something client-friendly.’
Christopher Tidmarsh KC5 Stone Buildings 'Very bright, calm and unstuffy. User-friendly - tries to find a pragmatic solution.'

Leading Juniors

Edward SawyerWilberforce Chambers 'Exceptionally pragmatic in his advice whilst retaining technical rigour. Excellent on his feet.'
Sebastian AllenWilberforce Chambers A serious talent at the pensions bar, he is tremendously easy to work with, combining a formidable intellect with tactical nous and approachability.
Fraser Campbell – Blackstone Chambers ‘Fraser is very clever and quick to the point. Clients are really impressed by the clarity of his advice and the depth of his analysis.’
Nicholas HillOuter Temple Chambers ‘He is quick, very hard working and conscientious and also has extensive knowledge of pensions law.’
Naomi LingOuter Temple Chambers 'Naomi is extremely clever and great on her feet. She is calm, clear and very effective. She is one of the best juniors around.'
Saul MargoOuter Temple Chambers ‘An extremely user friendly senior junior, Saul is able to take technically complex concepts and make them easily digestible and understandable for clients.’
Elizabeth OveyRadcliffe Chambers ‘Elizabeth is exceptionally attentive to detail and technically excellent. She is very responsive and will make herself available on short notice around other cases.’
Lydia SeymourOuter Temple Chambers 'Highly intelligent, excellent with clients, very hard working and diligent. Always on top of the detail.'
Henry DayRadcliffe Chambers  ‘Henry’s particular strength is in his attention to detail. He has a strong understanding of the pensions litigation work lay clients are involved in, and has a very bright future ahead of him.’
Wendy MathersRadcliffe Chambers ‘Wendy is extremely bright and forensically detailed in her approach. Solicitors know nothing will get missed – she is razor sharp. Extremely knowledgeable about pensions law.’
James McCreathWilberforce Chambers ‘Enormous attention to detail; great draftsman. Very responsive, very user-friendly and hugely clever. A very highly prized member of the pensions Bar and a great asset on any team.'
Saaman Pourghadiri 4 New Square 'A clear and persuasive advocate and more than a match for much more senior counsel. He is intellectually first rate, practical, hard-working and an excellent team player on large cases.'
Thomas RobinsonWilberforce Chambers 'Tom is extremely knowledgeable regarding all aspects of pension law. He has strong drafting skills and his written advocacy is particularly strong.'
Philip StearOuter Temple Chambers 'Extremely knowledgeable in his field, good with clients and has the ability to adopt a commercial and practical approach to conclude matters for the client.'
Michael UberoiOuter Temple Chambers 'He is extremely personable and explains complex concepts very simply to clients. Great bedside manner. His arguments are precise and well considered, delivered in an accessible manner.'
James WalmsleyWilberforce Chambers ‘His actuarial knowledge is second to none.’
Katherine Apps39 Essex Chambers 'Very knowledgeable. Very wide practice encompassing employment, pensions, EU, public and associated areas.'
Michael AshdownWilberforce Chambers 'Michael's great strength is his intellect and deep knowledge of the law. He couples his intelligence with a confident and attractive advocacy and makes the right strategic calls too.'
Victoria BrownOuter Temple Chambers ‘Impressive ability to handle and digest large volumes of complex material in a short timeframe. Excellent teamwork and collaboration skills, and her drafting style is persuasive and clear.’
Nigel Burroughs4 New Square - 'Very good attention to detail and the ability to draft a complicated particulars of claim so that it is easy to read and understand the complexities of the case.'
Jonathan ChewWilberforce Chambers 'Jonathan is a pleasure to work with. He is very clever and also possesses keen judgment and insight. He has an attractive drafting style and has a knack of anticipating what points will go down well.'
Patrick Halliday  – 11KBW ‘Patrick is an excellent lawyer who has brought his forensic skills to the field of pensions with some success. He is particularly adept at dealing with statutory pension schemes or the statutory regimes applying more generally to occupational pensions.’
Emily McKechnieWilberforce Chambers ‘She is extremely intelligent and thorough, with an extensive knowledge of pensions law.’
Jennifer SeamanWilberforce Chambers ‘Jennifer is a very calm, authoritative lawyer. Her advocacy style is clear and measured.’
Thomas SeymourWilberforce Chambers ‘Thomas is brilliant at deep research, incredibly responsive and very helpful. He is great to have on the team.’

Rising Stars

Chloe Bell3 Verulam Buildings ‘She writes persuasively and clearly. She immersed herself in a complex and document heavy case and was an excellent addition to the team.’
Joseph SteadmanWilberforce Chambers 'Joseph offers sensible, pragmatic and commercial advice. His ability to come up with solutions that achieve a desired outcome is a real strength.'

Pensions in London Bar

Wilberforce Chambers

Pensions power-houseWilberforce Chambers has a plethora of counsel at varying levels of experience to support clients on the most significant matters in the market, be they contentious or advisory. In the complex and high-value case of the Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund, Michael Tennet KC has been acting the representative beneficiaries in Part 8 proceedings, with other members of chambers involved in various capacities. Brian Green KC is a regular at the highest levels of court proceedings in pensions law, while Edward Sawyer continues to stand out for his exceptional practice as a junior, including acting against silk opposition in the Lloyds Pension Scheme litigation. ‘Very calm, authoritative‘ junior Jennifer Seaman further strengthened Wilberforce’s bench in this area, joining the set in February 2022 from Outer Temple Chambers.

Testimonials

Set

‘Wilberforce Chambers continue to lead the market for top-quality contentious and non-contentious pensions counsel.’

‘The main pensions power-house is Wilberforce. Real strength in depth.’

‘The chambers are a professional, expert set.’

‘Wilberforce is the pre-eminent set for big-ticket pensions litigation work.’

‘Wilberforce are, of course, the pensions set par excellence. Exceptional bench strength.’

Clerking

‘The clerks’ room are uniformly excellent – adaptable and dedicated to a highly professional service which impresses both instructing solicitors and clients.’

‘Conor Michaels stands out for his commercial, straightforward and diplomatic approach on complex and sensitive matters.’

‘Excellent. They are responsive and fee proposals are always set out clearly and concisely.’

‘Excellent service. Nancy Lee is a pleasure to work with.’

‘All hugely competent and professional.’

Work highlights

    Outer Temple Chambers

    Outer Temple Chambers has ‘built a very strong pensions practice in recent years‘ and members now act in a host of significant pensions cases. One such notable case, Britvic v Britvic Pensions & Mohun, saw Andrew Short KC acting for Britvic in a claim concerning the construction of an indexation provision; the resulting Court of Appeal decision is now one of the leading decisions on the proper approach to construction. Keith Bryant KC and Philip Stear both acted on the opposing side for the representative beneficiary, a sign of chambers’ strength in depth and capability to offer teams of counsel for matters at the highest level.

    Testimonials

    Set

    ‘Strength in depth for pensions litigation. One of the go-to sets.’

    ‘Very strong, pensions specialists at all levels of seniority.’

    ‘Seem to be going from strength to strength – great set.’

    ‘They have built a very strong pensions practice in recent years.’

    ‘Very strong in this area, one of the pre-eminent sets with barristers at all levels so there is always someone good available to take a job.’

    Clerking

    ‘Good service – Nick Levett in particular is always helpful.’

    ‘The clerks were extremely responsive and helpful throughout the process.’

    ‘Excellent clerks’ room. Matt Sale is always very helpful and a pleasure to work with.’

    ‘Sam Carter especially is exceptional and supported well by the rest of the team.’

    ‘Responsive and helpful. Colin Bunyan in particular.’

    Work highlights

      Radcliffe Chambers

      Radcliffe Chambers is ‘clearly first rate when it comes to pensions‘ and members are instructed on an array of contentious and advisory issues at the highest level. Recent highlights have included Mitchells & Butlers Pensions Ltd v Mitchells & Butlers Plc, where Keith Rowley KC led the Mitchell & Butlers’ defence of a complex, £150m claim by its pension trustee for rectification of the scheme’s trust deeds. Senior junior Elizabeth Ovey‘s general Chancery practice has significant focus on pensions law and she regularly appears at the Business and Property Courts, while Henry Day has acted in several recent pensions matters at the High Court.

      Testimonials

      Set

      ‘Radcliffe Chambers is one of the leading chambers for pensions litigation. They have offered excellent and practical training relating to pensions litigation.’

      ‘Really strong pensions set.’

      ‘Radcliffe is clearly first rate when it comes to pensions.’

      Clerking

      ‘Keith Nagle has always been incredibly helpful and responsive to any requests or queries.’

      ‘The clerks are incredibly helpful – particularly John Clark.’

      ‘I have always found Keith Nagle to be helpful and responsive.’

      ‘The clerks are highly responsive, extremely user-friendly and transparent. Keith Nagle in particular has been of great assistance.’

      ‘Great service. Vince Carter has been very helpful.’