The employment, labour and pensions practice group at Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP is regularly involved in a range of matters; the team offers a range of advice, acting for employers, pension schemes, public authorities, fund managers and insurers throughout a broad spectrum of industry sectors. The team continues to advise on significant developments throughout the pensions landscape, acting for some of the largest defined benefit schemes and defined contribution master trusts. Emma King leads the Midlands pensions team, with specific expertise in relation to Pension Regulator investigations. Gary Delderfield has a wealth of experience advising clients across the private and public sector, while Sarah Franklin has experience advising trustees and scheme sponsors on all aspects of occupational pension schemes. Key support in this area is provided by James Ellis and Tom Meyrick.
Pensions in West Midlands
Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP
Praxisleiter:
Emma King
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Gary Delderfield; Sarah Franklin; James Ellis; Tom Meyrick
Referenzen
‘Sound knowledge of the Scheme and Rules, and tailored training and advice provided to the Trustee.’
‘The individuals we work with in the pensions team are fantastic. Technically strong, commercially astute, and sensitive to our needs. Great service and good quality advice.’
‘As a large, national firm, Eversheds excels in this industry. Experience developed on previous clients/projects is shared within the business, so that lessons learnt can be applied to future projects, providing value for money. Eversheds are able to think innovatively and are not phased by approaches that aren’t necessarily tried and tested in the industry.’
Kernmandanten
Clara Pension Scheme Trustee
Siemens Plc
Trustee of the Goodyear Dunlop UK Pension Plan
Trustees of the Affinity Water Pension Plan
Trustee of the William Hill Pension Scheme
The University of Exeter
The University of Birmingham
The University of Durham
Trustee of the University of Leicester Pension Scheme
Trustee of the University of Warwick Pension Scheme
Trustee of the University of Sussex Pension Scheme
Ricoh Europe Plc
Trustees of the Calor Group Retirement Benefits Plan
Smurfit Kappa Pension Trustee
Metal Closures Pension Scheme Trustee
Highlight-Mandate
- Advised the Trustee of the Clara Pension Trust on the establishment of the scheme and three subsequent deals with an aggregate value of £1.2bn.
- Advised the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, the administering authority for the South Yorkshire Pension Fund in the Local Government Pension Scheme.
Gowling WLG
Gowling WLG‘s pensions team is often engaged by clients to assist with scheme advisory matters, employer advisory work, pensions risk transfer, and pensions disputes. Elizabeth Gane acts as the national head of the pensions practice, advising a broad range of both employers and trustees. Richard Black and Joanne Tibbott further expand the team’s knowledge, with experience handling funding issues and defined contribution schemes respectively. Paul Carberry advises a broad mix of trustees and employers, heading the public sector pensions unit, while Christopher Stiles has particular expertise in risk transfer transactions. Additional support is provided by Ben Goldby, who leads the pension team’s cyber security working party.
Praxisleiter:
Elizabeth Gane
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Richard Black; Paul Carberry; Joanne Tibbott; Ben Goldby; Christopher Stiles
Referenzen
‘The team is extremely responsive and will find pragmatic solutions quickly. We have called on a number of additional teams, and their depth of expertise is impressive, especially with regard to risk transfer work.’
‘The team has significant strength and depth. I consider them leaders in the pensions legal industry with excellent technical knowledge and, for me, the best presentation of the issue and what it means for me as a pensions manager.‘
‚They are always available to pick up the phone and discuss queries. I find their approach to business and advice to be very commercial.‘
Kernmandanten
Trustee of the G4S Pension Scheme
Highlight-Mandate
- Advised the trustees of the G4S Pension Scheme on the £1.8bn transaction with Just Group to secure all benefit liabilities of the Scheme for over 20,000 members, together with protection against residual risks.
Pinsent Masons LLP
The pensions and long-term savings team at Pinsent Masons LLP offers clients a range of advice, handling a diverse portfolio of large, complex defined benefit scheme clients and regularly advising on significant projects. Simon Laight heads the Birmingham practice and leads the national insured pensions practice, specialising in pension products for insurers and other providers. This work is supported by Nick Stones, who focuses on advising trustees and corporate sponsors and is known for assisting organisations in the public sector pension sphere. Furthermore, Katie Ivens has a developed defined benefit practice, with specialisms in advising trustees of authorised master trusts.
Praxisleiter:
Simon Laight
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Nick Stones; Katie Ivens
Referenzen
‘Excellent team of people with a depth of knowledge in all areas. Respond very quickly to queries, and if work is expected to take time, the team will come back with expected timescales. The team works well together to ensure queries are picked up. Advice is pragmatic.’
‘Pinsents are simply the best legal team I have ever worked with. Many advisers look to work alongside their clients, and this can work very well, but Pinsents work as part of the team. At the beginning, they took the time to know and understand our scheme, our business, and the different Trustees involved, and have worked with us through a variety of projects and initiatives. The overall effect of this is that their advice and knowledge are embedded in all that we do.’
‘Our main contact is Katie Ivens. Katie is exceptional in both her knowledge and her interaction with the Trustees. She has the ability to take complex matters and explain them to non-legal Trustees as part of a normal conversation, including, where appropriate, clear recommendations. I have said on many occasions that Katie’s appointment to the scheme has been the best decision I have made in my time with the scheme.‘
Kernmandanten
Babcock International Group Pension Scheme
Michelin Pension & Life Assurance Plan
Serco Plc
Fujitsu Group
Barratt Developments Plc
[Trustee] GKN Pension Schemes
[Trustee] Dowlais Pension Schemes
[Trustee] Cadbury Mondelez Pension Fund
Glanbia Group
Zurich
[Trustee] SEI Master Trust
Highlight-Mandate
- Acted for SEI on the consolidation of the National Pensions Trust (NPT) and the Atlas Master Trust into the SEI Master Trust, completing two scheme mergers and taking the assets of the SEI Master Trust to over £3.4bn.
- Acted for the Trustees of the five KION group schemes on an innovative joint £250m buyout with Canada Life.
Squire Patton Boggs
Squire Patton Boggs‘ pensions team is heavily involved in the market, offering specialist advice regarding public sector pensions, de-risking and risk transfer solutions, pensions litigation, defined contribution and collective defined contribution schemes as well as master trusts. The group has a significant market presence in the regulated utilities sector, especially with regard to water, nuclear and electricity sector schemes, while also demonstrating particular strength handling public sector pensions. Matthew Giles leads the team, also acting as global head of pensions, while Victoria Jeacock has expertise in advising corporates and administering authorities on all aspects of public sector pension schemes. Elsewhere, Kate-Emma Bailey has a wealth of experience advising on all aspects of occupational pension plan management including governance, benefit change and liability management projects.
Praxisleiter:
Matthew Giles
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Victoria Jeacock; Kate-Emma Bailey
Referenzen
‚SPB are really pragmatic and always look out for the client.‘
‘Wide range of experience and provides in-depth advice. Supportive in meetings. Depth of the team can pick up work with urgent deadlines and in the absence of colleagues. Quick to inform trustees of changes to legislation etc and provide general updates through email notifications. Provide solutions for trustees to handle bigger projects, such as General Code compliance.’
‚Having worked with many legal teams in the pension space, SPB stand out as the most flexible, no nonsense, pragmatic, personable and able to articulate complex matters clearly and succinctly.‘
Kernmandanten
Thames Water pension plans
Representative Beneficiary in Virgin Media case
Royal Mail Collective Pension Plan
Roxboro UK Pension Fund
Land Rover Pension Scheme
Jaguar Pension Plan
Jaguar Executive Pension Plan
Halma Plc pension plans
Aston Martin Lagonda Pension Scheme
Sandvik UK Group Defined Benefit Pension Plan
University of Birmingham Pension & Assurance Scheme
IMI Deferred 2014 Fund
Avimo Pension Scheme
Fiat Group Pension Scheme
Kelda Group Pension Scheme
Adia Holdings UK Pension Scheme
Gerber Scientific Pension & Life Assurance Scheme
Clancy Group PLC Pension Scheme
Highlight-Mandate
- Advising the trustees of the £2bn Thames Water pension plans on the potential effects of the restructuring of Thames Water.
- Advising the trustees on the successful launch in 2024 of the Royal Mail Collective Pension Plan.
Gateley Legal
Gateley Legal‘s pensions team acts for a range of clients, including both trustees and employers, advising on duties and liabilities while supporting companies with pensions issues arising from corporate transactions. The practice demonstrates a wide breadth of knowledge, offering key support to the restructuring team on complex insolvencies involving defined benefit pension schemes, while also continuing to support on the full range of pension schemes. The team is led by Michael Collins, who focuses on advising employers and trustees of occupational pension schemes on all aspects of pensions law.
Praxisleiter:
Michael Collins
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Phil Jelley
Referenzen
‘The Gateley team is proactive and quickly gets to grips with the issues at hand. They are happy to discuss the best way forward and provide guidance on the various options before undertaking a piece of work. Collaboration is a cornerstone of their approach and not just with the trustee’s advisers but also with the corporate and their advisers; the result is an efficient resolution of matters.‘
‘Michael Collins and Phil Jelley are very responsive and move matters along at pace. They are flexible in their approach and are happy to discuss options on matters whilst also alerting the trustee to issues that should be considered.‘
‘Partner is very business-minded and pragmatic, finding solutions, not issues.’
Kernmandanten
A.S Watson (Health & Beauty UK) Pension Plan (Superdrug)
Macmillan Pension Plan
USDAW Staff Superannuation Fund
Charles River Pension Plan
Hill & Smith 2016 Pension Scheme
NCL Investments Limited Pension Scheme (Evelyn Partners)
Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems (Europe) Pension Scheme
Dunlop Slazenger Pension Scheme
Rexel UK Pension Scheme
Habib Bank Pension and Life Assurance Scheme
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Pension Scheme
Frank Roberts & Sons Limited
American Optical UK Pension Scheme
Greenhous Group (2015) Retirement Benefits Scheme
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Pension Fund
New Crown Motor Sales Limited Staff Pension Scheme
Hereaus Electro-Nite UK Ltd Retirement Benefits Plan
Timpson Group Pension Scheme
Pickerings Limited Retirement Benefits Plan
Interpath as Administrators and Liquidators of Intelligent Money Limited
FRP as Liquidators of Simons Group Limited, Simons Construction Limited and Simons Developments Limited
Highlight-Mandate
- Advised on the pension aspects of the orderly wind-up of Intelligent Money Limited (IML).
- Advising Greenhous Group on a pension scheme buy-in with Just Group Limited.
- Advising Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Pension Fund on a pension scheme buy-in with Just Group Limited.
Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
The employment and pensions team at Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP has particular expertise in advising public sector pension schemes, social housing pension schemes, and university superannuation schemes, evidencing an ability to advise on a range of public and quasi-public sector schemes. The firm is recognised for its capabilities to advise clients on a range of issues including contractual arrangements with local authorities around payment for pension costs, as well as assisting providers with restructuring demands and the implementation of group structures. Douglas Mullen leads the team, and is particularly renowned for his work in the social housing and local government sectors.
Praxisleiter:
Douglas Mullen
Referenzen
‘Doug Mullen is excellent. Very pragmatic, good understanding of the needs of his clients and delivers his advice in a way that is clear for all parties to understand.’
‘Understanding and knowledge of local government with specialists who are able to advise across disciplines such as employment, pensions, and constitutional matters.’
‘The knowledge and understanding of local authorities with an ability to collaborate across specialisms on complex matters.‘
Kernmandanten
Housing 21
Magenta Living
British Union Conference of the Seventh Day Baptists
Sports & Leisure Management Limited
Gold Care Management Limited
Wychavon Leisure
Cambridgeshire Pension Fund
Nottinghamshire Pension Fund
Care Dorset
Highlight-Mandate
- Advised Housing 21 on the pensions and immigration aspects of the due diligence carried out on the transfer of the 137 staff from Midland Hearts. Also advising on the pensions warranties and indemnities in the transfer agreement.
- Advised Magenta on an application for early release of pension benefits on grounds of ill health from one of its former employees.
- Advised the BUC on its consultation with pension scheme members about changing some pension scheme benefits so that the benefits can be insured by the pension scheme trustees.
Shoosmiths LLP
Shoosmiths LLP‘s pensions team is known for handling scheme mergers, buy-in projects, wind-ups, scheme restructurings and advising on public service pension schemes. Lynette Lewis leads the Midlands team, with particular experience working with large retail clients on transactions with trustees across a number of schemes.
Praxisleiter:
Lynette Lewis
Referenzen
‘The team is very approachable and always looking to work with us for the best outcomes for both the company and scheme members.’
‘The Individuals are very pragmatic with their advice and always respond quickly with easy-to-understand advice.‘
‘National coverage and a good depth and diversity of team members in terms of background and skills.’
Kernmandanten
Trustee of the Essar Oil (UK) Pension Scheme
Next plc
Mettler-Toledo Pension Scheme
Trustees of the CIM Holdings Limited Retirement Benefits Scheme
Trustees of the Rubery Owen Group Staff Pension Scheme
Highlight-Mandate
- Advised an independent trustee company on legally complex issues arising from GMP underpins across a number of schemes.
- Advised a retail sector client on a buy-in transaction and related funding and discretionary benefit negotiations.
- Advised trustees of two associated schemes on issues arising from the discovery of final salary links.