Shoosmiths LLP‘s practice is led from Manchester by Paul Carney, who is supported at the helm by Reading-based Suzanne Burrell and Birmingham’s Lynette Lewis. Carney is appointed by various trustees to advise on complex pensions matters, and assists clients with the pensions aspects of high-value transactions. Alexandra Ventham is also a key contact in Manchester.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- The pensions team provides proactive and commercially focused advice. They are very helpful and informative, offering practical solutions.
- Paul Carney is very approachable and provides practical, commercially focused solutions to complex pension issues in a way that is easy to understand.
- Approachable and quick to respond.
- Paul Carney is excellent and mindful of giving value for money.
- Honesty, integrity, knowledge.
- Paul Carney is knowledgeable in the field he covers for us. He works quickly, and I am confident his advice is good.
Key clients
- Stellantis Group UK
- Trustees of the RMT Pension Scheme
- Aramark UK Limited
- Trustees of the Evergreen Pension Plan
- The Growth Company
- Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
- Elior UK Limited
- Trustees of the Plastic Extruders Pension Scheme
- Trustees of the Otter Controls Limited Pension Scheme
- Trustees of the British Salt Pension Scheme
- Trustees of the Trolex Pension Scheme
- Trustees of the Port of Shoreham Retirement and Benefits Scheme
Work highlights
Supporting the (independent) trustee of Otter Controls Limited RBS in a risk-management project which, in 2025, involved a buy-in of all pensions. The project continues as the trustee presses on to buyout and windup of a scheme with a particularly complex benefit structure.
Advised the trustees of the British Salt Pension Scheme in March 2025. The trustees were called on to relinquish a guarantee as part of a corporate restructuring, which involved moving in at short notice to advise the trustees.
Advising the trustees of the Port of Shoreham Retirement Benefits Scheme on an ongoing basis to deal with governance issues before preparing the Scheme for buy-in.
Practice head
Paul Carney; Suzanne Burrell; Lynette Lewis
Other key lawyers
Alexandra Ventham