Paul Newman KC
‘Pragmatic, focussed, commercial – he cuts to the point.’
Wilberforce Chambers is a go-to name for many City firms and beyond in occupational pensions work, dealing with some of the largest and highest-value pensions cases. Notable cases include four of the set’s barristers (Brian Green KC, Michael Tennet KC, Michael Tennet KC, Joseph Steadman) working on the widely publicised BBC pension scheme case – BBC v BBC Pensions Trustee – concerning the ability to modify the broadcasting service’s pension scheme. The set also includes Michael Tennet KC and Fenner Moeran KC appearing in Brass Trustees Ltd v Goldstone, the leading case on how pension scheme trustees should take the Pension Protection Fund into account when determining how to act – a case that has now re-emerged after the company failed to uphold its compromise, and on which Moeran is representing Brass Trustees Ltd in new insolvency proceedings.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- The clerks are extremely savvy and know all the personnel at the Court, which is helpful on things such as listing. They're top of the game, effective and professional. From the most senior to the most junior, they impress.
- The clerks are particularly clever, understand the market, and the clients' expectations. Andrew Barnes, Fraser Geddes and Stewart Cameron are extremely knowledgeable.
- Wilberforce has the strongest pensions law expertise of any set.
- Outstanding set - premier set for pensions work.
- The go-to set for pensions and trusts. Class acts all the way across the board. The KCs are all stellar and the knowledge of the juniors is always impressive for their call.
- Wilberforce has been for many years, and remain, a stellar pensions set. They have top quality at the highest levels, and across the board.
Lawyers
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Michael Tennet KC
‘He is good at leading juniors and is a superior strategist. He is no nonsense in his advocacy and reactive to questions from the Judges.’
Michael Furness KC
Michael is incredibly thorough and reliable. His opinions are models of clarity.’
Brian Green KC
‘Brian is a combination of teacher and showman. He is incredibly good and persuasive at explaining to different audiences in the right way for the audience – be they clients, judges, or juniors – what the issue is and why it should be analysed in the way he is proposing.’
Jonathan Hilliard KC
‘Jonathan is a class act with excellent client manner, and is a very thorough preparer. He also has very good judgement.’
Fenner Moeran KC
Good advocacy and strong technical knowledge.’
Andrew Mold KC
2025 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Thomas Robinson KC
‘He is an expert in the overlap between pensions and insolvency. Very personable and efficient, and doesn’t make anything seem difficult.’
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Edward Sawyer
‘With enormous experience of all matters related to pensions, Edward combines technical excellence with fantastic service and unrivalled intellectual capabilities. This makes him an absolute go-to as the premier senior junior at the pensions Bar.’
James McCreath
‘James is an excellent advocate, with a considered, measured approach which helps lead the judge through the relevant points. He is clear and concise, and able to adapt quickly on his feet to the questions raised by the judge.’
Jennifer Seaman
Jenny is great to work with – decisive and pragmatic and knows the law well. She provides clear advice on complex issues and is persuasive in her arguments.'
Sebastian Allen
Sebastian is really personable, makes the law fun, and never seems deterred or concerned by any obstacle.'
Jonathan Chew
Friendly, sharp, works well in a team, and focuses on the key issues.'
James Walmsley
James is able to take in a huge amount of information and get to the heart of an issue, he has an eye for detail and can foresee potential areas of weakness in order to deal with them at an early stage.'
Michael Ashdown
Joseph Steadman
Joe is fantastic to work with – he’s down to earth, responsive and authoritative, and understands exactly what the underlying client is looking for in his advice. The end product is both high quality and accessible.’