Pensions

Our pensions lawyers advise trustees and employers in relation to over 70 pension schemes of various sizes. They have unique expertise in relation to advising insurance companies and IFAs in relation to the development of pensions products. These range from SIPPs (self invested personal pension plans) to group life policies and healthcare trusts.

Working together with our employment team, the pensions team specialises in advising employers in managing liabilities and saving costs in relation to occupational pension schemes. They have significant experience in advising employers with overseas parent companies in relation to UK pensions issues - often advising in relation to pensions issues on significant corporate transactions and entering into negotiations with the pensions regulator.

Our trust corporation Lawrence Graham Trust Corporation acts as trustee of a variety of pension schemes either as a sole trustee or as a professional trustee amongst other lay trustees.

Pensions

We can advise you on:

• All aspects of pension provision for employers and trustees
• Pensions aspects of M&A, joint ventures, capital raising, restructuring, finance and insolvency, including applications to the Pensions Regulator for clearance of transactions
• Occupational pension scheme documentation and design for employers, trustees and insurance companies
• Scheme documentation, design and regulatory advice for insurance companies and other providers, e.g. stakeholder pension schemes, group personal and self-invested pension schemes, small self-administered schemes and group life assurance schemes
• Pension scheme disputes, Pension Ombudsman complaints and litigation
• Making strategic changes to pension provision including pension scheme mergers, restructuring pension arrangements and winding-up schemes
• Funding issues including scheme specific funding and employer covenant issues
• The use of contingent assets, including PPF guarantees
• Public sector pension arrangements including admission agreements in relation to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and alternative pension arrangements
• Our aim is to give practical advice on any pensions issue, drawing upon our experience and expertise and that of other departments within the firm with specialist skills in tax, employment, dispute resolution, investment (including real estate) and local government law
• Team members are active members of professional bodies including the Society of Pension Consultants, the Association of Pension Lawyers, the Pensions Management Institute and the International Pensions and Employee Benefits Lawyers Association.

Pensions

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Pensions

Recommended by Chambers UK and The Legal 500 UK as a leading firm for pensions.

"This team works closely with colleagues from the employment team to advise employers on pension liability management. It also advises trustees of a wide range of leading pension schemes. Notable clients include BMW, Global Asset Management and the Hitachi Data Systems Retirement Benefits Plan. The team's approach, which is valued by sources, is "about providing a firm recommendation on issues, rather than talking around them. They are also willing to look at situations from all angles.

"Adam Bushby is "excellent at client relationship-building and is able to provide things at short notice; his breadth of knowledge is great." He advised Volvo regarding an amendment to the company's pension scheme rules and trust deed to ensure the implementation of benefit equalisation.

"Lawrence Graham LLP ‘finds the most effective way of providing advice in a simple and straightforward way’; ‘value for money is excellent’. The firm continues to act for First Corporate Shipping in Pilots, while transactional clients include Volvo and the Hitachi Data Systems Retirement Benefits Plan.  Robert Smith has ‘great presentation style and talks with a lot of passion and humour’.  Adam Bushby is also recommended." - The Legal 500 UK

"At Lawrence Graham LLP, Robert Smith ‘speaks authoritatively and provides pragmatic advice’; and Adam Bushby is ‘able to understand the issues in an instant’. Clients include Société Générale and Portsmouth Water. Up a tier in the dispute resolution table this year, the firm represented Bristol Port in the Pilots litigation." – The Legal 500 UK

"This practice advises both trustees and employers, but is most well known for its trustee expertise. Its team "has the ability to explain pensions in layman's terms. They are very efficient, knowledgeable and easy to talk to." The group recently ... acted for both the trustees and the company of Portsmouth Water on its closure to future accrual of a final salary scheme while creating a new defined benefit element. It also represents BMW, Rolex and Twentieth Century Fox." – Chambers UK

"Head of the practice Adam Bushby "will always provide advice that will look at what's best for the trustees and the company. He looks from both sides of the fence." He represented the trustees of Société Générale in its initiative to transfer benefits out of its final salary scheme." – Chambers UK