Pensions
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Addleshaw Goddard
Partner in the pensions team, head of SIPPs and pension products and director of Sovereign Trustees Limited, the firm’s corporate trustee company. Deals in all areas of the department’s work: including scheme advisory and trustee governance, corporate deficits and pension regulator issues, transactions and outsourcings, tax and benefits, pensions litigation, SIPPs and SSASs, auto-enrolment, master-trust and DC schemes.
Addleshaw Goddard
Rachel advises trustees and corporates on all aspects of occupational and personal pension schemes. She has particular expertise in pension scheme mergers, DB liability management, corporate transactions and employer debt issues. She is the team's expert on buy-in and buy-out transactions. She is also part of the SIPPs and pensions products team and advises SIPP providers and trustees on establishing and amending SIPPs and all day-to-day queries relating to the operation of SIPPs. Her clients include the trustees of the lbstock Pension Scheme, Shepherd Building Group, WPP, Carclo plc and the Co-operative Group. Rachel's recent experience includes: advising the UK subsidiary a NASDAQ listed business specialising in connectivity infrastructure and services for global deployments of broadband networks on all their UK pensions issues, including advice on scheme funding negotiations, how to manage a legacy error where administration practice did not accord with scheme rules and the buyout and wind up of the DB pension scheme with a UK insurer; advising the trustees of a DB scheme in relation to administration errors resulting in overpayments to members and the legal and practical issues for the trustees in determining how to manage this and mitigate the risk of complaints from affected members; advising a sponsoring employer of a DB scheme on the ability to switch from RPI to CPI for pension increases as part of wider strategic discussions regarding the DB scheme; advising the trustees of a DB scheme on a very successful pension increase exchange exercise and a subsequent enhanced transfer value exercise; advising trustees on the implications of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the steps required to ensure compliance; advising a sponsoring employer on potential equalisation exposure in over 25 different legacy pension arrangements including advice on both technical and strategic and practical issues relating to how to deal with remediation of benefits; advising a sponsoring employer on the switching off of long-standing discretionary practice previously exercised in member's favour and the legal risks including whether the discretion may have converted into a legal right; advising the trustees of a £600mil+ DB scheme on the closure to future accrual undertaken by way of extrinsic contracts with members and their obligations and duties; advising a corporate in connection the pensions issues arising out of a major disposal of certain divisions of the business which participated in the group's DB pension scheme, which included putting in place a £15mil pensions bond with two bond providers for the benefit of the purchaser; advising the trustees of a DB scheme on a professional negligence claim and potential rectification claim arising out an historic drafting error in their governing documents; advising in connection with the complex separation of benefits in a SSAS arising out of a business dispute; and advising numerous clients on changes to their life assurance arrangements and the introduction of excepted group life schemes and advising on the governance of these schemes.
Arc Pensions Law
Vikki has specialised in pensions law for more than 25 years and advises trustees and employers in relation to all aspects of pensions law. She is particularly experienced in the pensions aspects of corporate activity, including sales, acquisitions and refinancings as well as having advised on numerous distress and restructuring cases, negotiating with the Pension Protection Fund and the Pensions Regulator. She has advised on a number of asset backed funding arrangements. She also advises on many DC issues, in particular specialising in member communication and education as well as having expertise on scheme administration issues. Vikki is experienced in reviewing and updating scheme documentation, advising on trustee duties and governance issues and advising both trustees and employers in relation to liability management exercises.
Arc Pensions Law
Kate has many years of experience advising trustees and employers in relation to all aspects of pensions law. She has advised them on scheme mergers and benefit changes including closure to new entrants and to further accrual. Kate has also been involved in a number of liability management exercises to help schemes look more attractive to insurers as well as offering members opportunities to reshape their benefits. She has also been involved in projects to transfer DC benefits from hybrid schemes to master trusts and more recently Kate has also advised trustees on asset backed funding agreements, LDI investment and benefit specification projects associated with buy-ins and buy-outs. Kate has also worked on multi-jurisdictional corporate transactions and restructurings including for distressed companies. She has also supported central government on significant outsourcing projects including one that resulted in the first private sector provider participating in the Civil Service Pension Scheme, as well as contractors participating in public sector schemes and the Railways Pension Scheme.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
