United Kingdom - Scotland • Employment
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Pensions

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Burness Paull LLP

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Burness Paull LLP stands out for its corporate pensions advisory work, assisting UK and international companies with the pension aspects of mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, and refinancing activities. The firm’s pensions team is helmed by Margaret Meehan, who represents employers, pension scheme trustees, and local authorities. Sarah Phillips, who spearheads the corporate department, advises on transactions and addresses pension disputes. Liam Young, elevated to partner in August 2023, focuses on scheme governance, trustee discretion, and GMP equalisation.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The pensions team at Burness Paull provides an incredible service, which combines top-class intellect with a down-to-earth and client-focused approach. They are also very empathetic in their approach, which means the client feels heard and understood.’

  • ‘Margaret Meehan and Liam Young complement each other perfectly. They can be relied on to quickly get to the heart of any pensions issue and provide advice that is compelling and easy to understand. They deliver excellent value for money and are very commercial in their approach.’

  • ‘A very strong team covering legal and scheme secretary services. What makes them stand out is their high level of responsiveness, their understanding of the Scheme and their ability to put themselves in the shoes of the Trustees to meet our needs.’

  • ‘They are all excellent!’

  • 'The team is highly knowledgeable, insightful, constructive and clear.’

  • ‘Sarah Phillips and senior associate Eilidh Robertson provided clear and well-reasoned advice.’

  • ‘Our advisers are available (easy to get a hold of when we need to) and provide timely advice on any issues raised.’

  • ‘They are friendly, helpful and knowledgable - not afraid to challenge us to make sure we consider all available options.’

Key clients

  • Aegon UK pension scheme
  • Scottish Enterprise pension scheme
  • Inspire (Partnership Through Life) Ltd.
  • STV Group
  • Phoenix
  • Swire Energy Services Limited
  • Capability Scotland pension scheme
  • Abrdn
  • Transocean Onshore Support Services Limited
  • Scottish Investment Trust PLC pension scheme

Work highlights

  • Advised Transocean on the pensions aspects of an asset sale involving a drilling rig and employees transfer under TUPE.
  • Advised Phoenix on matters including complaints, death benefits, insurance, and scheme documentation.
  • Advised the trustee of the Aegon UK Staff Retirement and Death Benefit Scheme on a de-risking project with Scottish Widows valued at £160m.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Margaret Meehan
Burness Paull LLP
Sarah Phillips
Burness Paull LLP
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Liam Young
Burness Paull LLP

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Margaret Meehan

Other key lawyers

Sarah Phillips, Liam Young, Eilidh Robertson