Stuart O"Brien > Sacker & Partners LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Sacker & Partners LLP
20 GRESHAM STREET
LONDON
EC2V 7JE
England
Stuart O

Work Department

Pensions

Position

Partner with experience of a broad range of pension related matters, advising employers and trustees alike and with an emphasis on investment issues. This includes buy-ins and buy-outs, de-risking and advising on the legal aspects of scheme funding issues, including the use of contingent assets.

Stuart’s advice includes making changes to pension benefits (including the closure of schemes to future accrual), liability management exercises including pension increase exchange and pre-retirement transfer exercises, as well as scheme mergers, demergers, and solvent and insolvent wind-ups. He has significant expertise advising on the pensions aspects of corporate mergers, acquisitions and restructuring, dealing with Pensions Regulator clearance, section 75 debts, and apportionment and withdrawal arrangements.

Stuart is a leading industry figure for environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment issues and  an authority and regular speaker and commentator on the integration of climate change into trustee investment decision making as well as TCFD reporting, stewardship and engagement issues.

Stuart chairs the Pensions Climate Risk Industry Group and sits on a number of high profile committees including recent PLSA working groups providing trustee guidance on ESG and implementation statements. He is a member of the Investment and Defined Contribution Sub-Committee of the Association of Pension Lawyers and a member of the legal panel to the Impact Investment Institute.

Career

Hammonds LLP (2001 to 2003); Sackers & Partners LLP (2003 to present), partner 2011.

Memberships

Association of Pension Lawyers  (Full Member and Investment Committee Member); Pensions Management Institute (Ordinary Member)).

Education

University of Texas Law School, Austin, USA (1999 LLB with merit in American Law); Nottingham Law School (2001 Legal Practice Course).

Lawyer Rankings

London > Employment > Pensions (non-contentious)

Pension specialist boutique firm Sacker & Partners LLP fields a large and deep team, which has extensive experience in issues ranging from high-value risk transfer transactions to the outsourcing of trustee executive functions. The practice is headed up by David Saunders, who has notable experience advising on DB and DC pension arrangements, including mergers and demergers, scheme funding issues, and de-risking projects. Other key names include Janet Brown, who is noted for her experience in large multi-employer DB schemes across the oil, chemical, and university sectors; Fuat Sami, who has expertise in advising on M&A, restructurings, and de-risking matters; and Stuart O’Brien, who is highlighted for his focus on finance and investment issues. Jacqui Reid and Philippa Connaughton are further key names of note. Edward Hayes retired at the end of 2023.