Julian Richards

Pensions, Partner

Julian advises on all aspects of occupational pension schemes, including scheme organisation, restructuring and dispute resolution. Most recently he has advised extensively on pension scheme mergers following employer restructuring. He specialises in advising on managing section 75 debt on employer cessation events and has been particularly involved in advising trustees and employers on modifying debt and re-assigning scheme liabilities through both scheme and flexible apportionment arrangements.

Julian is skilled at liaising with scheme administrators, consultants, actuaries and insurers during merger and de-risking projects and has extensive experience in advising on, and drafting, the necessary documentation. He acts for trustees and employers on pension litigation matters including equalisation, rectification, and professional negligence. He is experienced in managing the litigation process through to compromise settlement and court hearing.

Julian acts for a number of trustee boards of schemes provide by trade unions for their employees. His background as a trade union pensions officer prior to becoming a solicitor gives him a unique understanding of the particular issues faced by trustees of trade union sponsored schemes.