A&L Goodbody LLP

Pensions Group

Partner

David Francis is a partner in A&L Goodbody's Pensions group and has more than 20 years' experience providing client focused solutions for high profile employers, trustees and pensions and investment service and product providers on all pension-related matters. His expertise ranges from the establishment of plans (including plan design, documentation, administration, compliance (most recently, in relation to the legal aspects of governance and risk management), investment and cross-border pension issues) through to providing strategic advice on funding, merging, pension benefit changes, liability management exercises, restructuring and winding up.

His expertise includes advising on the establishment of master trusts and cross-border pension arrangements, as well as participation in and transfers to and from such arrangements.

He has considerable experience in advising on the pension aspects of corporate mergers, acquisitions, re-organisations, flotations, outsourcing and privatisations. David also has particular expertise in advising on complex aspects of trust law.

David has extensive experience advising on the pension aspects of disputes and mediation including high-profile and high-value pensions' litigation before the courts, pension related disputes before the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court as well as internal dispute resolution procedures and complaints before the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman.

David is ranked as a Leading Partner for Pensions and Employee Benefits by Legal 500.

David is recognised as a Thought Leader and one of the world’s leading practitioners in the 'Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders Labour, Employment & Benefits 2024' report.

David was ranked first in the Top Ten Transformative Employment Pension Lawyers in Ireland in 2023 by the Business Today Lawyer Awards.

David was awarded 'Pensions & Benefits Lawyer of the Year for Ireland' at the Client Choice Awards in 2021 and 2022.

David is the author of the Thomson Reuter Practical Law Guide 'Regulation of State and Supplementary Pension Schemes in Ireland'.

David has featured in the Irish pensions trade press on several occasions and enjoys training and speaking on pensions matters. He is a member of the Council of the Association of Pension Lawyers in Ireland and is a member of the Association of Pensions Lawyers and the Pensions Management Institute in the UK.

Pension Trustee Practitioner, LIA Solicitor, Law Society of Ireland LLM, University of London, Queen Mary and Westfield College LLB, National University of Ireland, Galway BA, National University of Ireland, Galway