Advising standalone advisory and insurance clients, multinational corporates, and private equity companies, Clifford Chance LLP‘s pensions team regularly works on large-scale, high-value matters, covering benefit specifications, buy-ins and buyouts, and professional negligence to DB and DC pension schemes and daily advisory pensions work. Clare Hoxey advises multinational public and private corporations, insurance companies, private equity houses, and trustees of occupational pension schemes on the full gamut of pensions matters. Sarah McAleer is experienced in employer and trustee advisory work, and in the M&A and transactional aspects of pensions issues. Former head of the practice, Hywel Robinson, left the practice in May 2025 for Temple Bright.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team has many strengths including its technical expertise, market intelligence, and commercial and pragmatic approach. The responsiveness of the team, the collaborative way it works, and the friendly approach are excellent.'
'Clare Hoxley's experience and market knowledge always fills us with complete confidence and enables her to provide clear, straightforward, and pragmatic advice regardless of the complexities involved.'
‘Consistency across the team is very reassuring. The reassurance that whatever requests are made, the response will be delivered in a way that is easy to understand and with a high degree of commerciality.'
'Clifford Chance was appointed for the depth and breadth of experience in complex matters involving multiple jurisdictions. They were able to demonstrate the ability to come up with solutions that could be palatable to both the trustee and the company. Work is carried out at the appropriate level and billed on a value basis.'
'Extremely high quality team.'
'Sarah McAleer stands out as being super sharp and super practical.'
'They were able to demonstrate the ability to come up with solutions that could be palatable to both the Trustee and the Company. Work is carried out at the appropriate level.'
Key clients
- Informa PLC
- A corporate professional trustee company in its capacity as the trustee of a UK defined benefit occupational pension schemes
- A leading UK automotive services company, in its capacity as sponsor of a large UK defined benefit pension scheme
- Global company, in its capacity as sponsor of a large UK defined benefit pension scheme
- A global asset management company
- A FTSE 250 international defence company
- iNova Pharmaceuticals (Singapore) Pte. Limited
- Save the Children Fund
- Safeway Pension Trustees Limited
- WM Morrison Pension Trustee Ltd
- Unilever
- A leading international private equity firm
- Pfizer
- Saint-Gobain
- Citi
Work highlights
Advised Informa PLC on the pensions aspects relating to its definitive agreement to combine its Informa Tech digital businesses with TechTarget (a Nasdaq listed entity).
Provided full-service advice to a corporate professional trustee company in its capacity as the trustee of a UK defined benefit occupational pension scheme in connection with the buy-in of one of the pension schemes administered by the trustee and thereafter the substitution of the scheme sponsor as part of a wider corporate restructuring exercise.
Provide ongoing pensions advice to the leading UK automotive services company, in its capacity as sponsor of a large UK defined benefit pension scheme.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Clare Hoxey
Other key lawyers
Clare Hoxey; Sarah McAleer