Based in Bristol, Burges Salmon LLP‘s pensions team has a vast offering covering regulatory work, scheme restructurings, and alternatives to buy outs. Public sector work for central and local governments across the UK and Northern Ireland forms another cornerstone of the practice, with several team members being dual qualified. Team head Richard Knight has extensive experience acting for high-profile pension schemes on restructurings, liability driven investments, and potential closures, while Clive Pugh excels in regulatory and funding matters as well as scheme rescues and managed PPF entries. ‘Top-notch pensions lawyer’ Richard Pettit has experience spanning moral hazard investigations, corporate restructurings, and de-risking transactions, with Michael Hayles covering pension projects and LGPS work. Also noted are Alice Honeywill and Susannah Young, together with directors Chris Brown, Crispin Freeman and Kate Granville Smith.
Pensions in South West
Burges Salmon LLP
Practice head(s):
Richard Knight
Other key lawyers:
Clive Pugh; Richard Pettit; Michael Hayles; Alice Honeywill; Susannah Young; Suzanne Padmore; Chris Brown; Crispin Freeman; Kate Granville Smith
Testimonials
‘Proactive, personable and top class.’
‘Richard Pettit is excellent, technically superb – never losing sight of pragmatism.’
‘Michael Hayles has a very collaborative approach, is technically excellent and a pleasure to work with.’
‘Great team – one of the largest outside London in terms of strength and depth. Always a pleasure to work with. Good technical knowledge and always an eye for the detail.’
‘Richard Pettit is a top-notch pensions lawyer – on top of the detail and able to ensure that resources are applied where they get the best returns.’
‘Richard Pettit and Suzanne Padmore (plus all supporting teams) have provided a fabulous, dedicated service to a deal with very lengthy and problematic situations.’
‘The pensions team at Burges Salmon provides an all-round excellent service combining technical knowledge, commercial acumen, attention to detail and dedication to the client’s objectives.’
‘Suzanne Padmore is a stand-out pensions lawyer with excellent judgement, detailed knowledge of all aspects of pensions law and is a pleasure to work with.’
Key clients
Honda Group UK Pension Scheme
AT&T Pension Scheme
Leonardo Pension Schemes
Trustees of the C F Fertilisers Pension Schemes
Trustees of the DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Company Limited Pension Scheme
Trustees of three of the four UK DB schemes sponsored by Informa Plc
Trustees of the London Luton Airport Pension Scheme
Plumbing Pensions Employers Limited
Work highlights
- Advised the Trustees of the DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Company Limited Pension Scheme in relation to an application for forfeiture of £5m of benefits of three members of the scheme following their conviction for a £8m fraud against the sponsoring employer.
- Advising the Trustees of the three UK pension schemes sponsored by CF Fertilisers Limited in relation to a restructuring of the sponsoring employer’s UK business which has included the permanent shutdown of its Ince plant based in Cheshire and the redundancy of approximately 350 employees.
- Advising the Trustees of two DB pension schemes in relation to a proposal to close the schemes to future benefit accrual, and in relation to a GMP equalisation conversion project, involving an extensive pension increase exchange exercise.
Osborne Clarke LLP
Osborne Clarke LLP‘s team has extensive expertise handling PPFs and transactions, including buy-ins and buy-outs, in addition to pensions disputes. The team also has a sizeable presence in public sector pensions, where the team advises a number of LGPS funds. Spending his time between Bristol and London, practice head Jonathan Hazlett has experience acting for employers and trustees across all aspects of pensions law including insolvencies and restructurings, securing members’ benefits, and alternative risk transfer mandates. Paul Matthews specialises in handling pensions advisory work for large schemes, and Brent Wright is recommended for the pensions aspects of corporate transactions. For employment-related pension matters, Claire Rankin is a key name, while Tobias Hole advises on risk transfer projects.
Practice head(s):
Jonathan Hazlett
Other key lawyers:
Paul Matthews; Brent Wright; Claire Rankin; Tobias Hole; Joe Webster; Daragh McGinty
Testimonials
‘Availability, thoroughness, commercial approach.’
‘Excellent practical help, proactive and cover the ground efficiently.’
‘Claire Rankin, doesn’t let go and with complex issues that is a great approach, no stone left unturned.’
‘The team – good solutions without fuss, very user friendly.’
‘Joe Webster is the perfect in-house lawyer to be found in private practice. He is technically excellent, extremely responsive, explains things clearly, understands my business and resourcing, and is just a joy to deal with. It feels like he is a member of our in-house team. Problems are easily resolvable when shared with Joe.’
Key clients
Thomas Cook Pension Plan
Pension Protection Fund
T&N Retirement Benefits Scheme (1989)
Leonardo UK Limited
Hammerson Group Management Limited Pension and Life Assurance Scheme
Royal Society of Chemistry
Baptist Union of Great Britain
British Red Cross Society
YMCA Pension and Assurance Plan
Cross Manufacturing Pension Scheme
Ameresco Limited
Mabey Pension Scheme
RM plc
BCA Pension Plan
L’Oreal (UK) Limited Retirement Benefits Plan
Lincoln Staff Benefits Plan
Multivac Pension Plan
Askews Retirement Scheme
Work highlights
- Acted as trustee adviser in relation to the Thomas Cook Pension Plan and three associated schemes, on PPF assessment period processes and PPF+ buy-ins, buy-outs and wind-ups.
- Advising Leonardo in relation to: (i) the closure of its two (£1bn+) DB pension schemes to the future accrual of benefits; and (ii) the adoption of a single trustee board across its two DB pension schemes and its DC pension scheme.
TLT
Covering a wide variety of complex regulatory and financial services work for FTSE companies, TLT‘s team is active across the pensions space, including in SIPP and SSAS work as well as public sector mandates, acting for government departments and authorities. Practice head Sasha Butterworth
has experience across a wide range of employer and trustee matters, including new regulatory products, master trusts, and governance mandates. Chris Crighton is well known for his public sector pension expertise and also handles employer-led risk reduction cases. Legal director Lizzie Stone has experience handling governance issues and liability management matters, including buy-ins and buy-outs, while senior associate Ellie Taylor covers DB, DC and contract-based pension schemes.
Practice head(s):
Sasha Butterworth
Other key lawyers:
Chris Crighton; Lizzie Stone; Ellie Taylor
Testimonials
‘TLT’s advice has been invaluable. Advice is always provided in a calm and timely manner, balancing commercial practicalities and compliance requirements with an eye to the human behavioural factors at work.’
‘Lizzie Stone and Chris Crighton stand out with practical and pragmatic advice.’
‘Very strong pensions legal practice’
‘Chris Crighton – Very strong communication skills, open minded, pragmatic, and client focused. Ellie Taylor – Very thorough research in non-routine situations.’
Key clients
Anglian Water
Fujitsu Technology Solutions International Pension Plan Trustee
Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Limited
Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime
Viridor Waste Management Limited
WHSmith
Travelers
Arkema Bostik Pension Trustee Limited
Mono Equipment Pension Scheme Trustees
Trustees of the Princess Yachts Pension Scheme
Trustees of the Colas UK Pension Plan
Shine Wraparound Care Limited
Trustees of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service Pension Scheme
Work highlights
- Advised XPS Pensions Group on its disposal to SEI of its interest in the National Pensions Trust.
- Providing ongoing pensions legal advice to the Trustee of the UKAS pension scheme, a career average pension scheme still open to future accrual and to new members.
Simmons & Simmons
Simmons & Simmons‘ ‘extremely accessible and knowledgeable’ pensions team has experience ranging from de-risking mandates to corporate restructurings, reorganisations, legal compliance work, and scheme mergers. While Danny Tsang chairs the national pensions practice from London, James Dean leads the Bristol office and is often approached for his expertise across a wide range of pension scheme investments, restructurings and pension liability issues. He works alongside Kate Fellows-Tully and Dan Bryan.
Practice head(s):
Danny Tsang; James Dean
Other key lawyers:
Kate Fellows-Tully; Dan Bryan
Testimonials
‘The team is good at every level; all communicate well, and all are thorough strong lawyers. They divide their advice soundly.’
‘The team are extremely accessible and knowledgeable and able to translate complex pension legislation into practical solutions.’
‘They have spent time getting to know the business which makes them easily able to offer practical and commercial advice and solutions.’
Key clients
DXC Technology
Mercedes Benz Trucks Limited
GlaxoSmithKline
Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE)
BASF plc
Doosan Babcock Trustees
Anheuser-Busch InBev Group
West Ferry Printers Pension Scheme
Work highlights
- Acted for the trustees of the Doosan Power Systems Pension Scheme, advising on all aspects of the scheme.
- Recently appointed to advise the Mercedes-Benz Trucks business in relation to the pensions issues arising from its global separation from Mercedes-Benz Cars.