Stephenson Harwood

Employment, pensions, private wealth, immigration, contentious trusts and corporate tax

Helena heads up the pensions disputes practice at Stephenson Harwood and continues to be a leading player in pensions litigation – both in terms of the cases she has worked on, but also in her role on the Pensions Litigation Committee of the Association of Pensions Lawyers.

Helena has almost 30 years' experience in dealing with pensions disputes, which cover a broad range of subject matter and acting for a variety of clients.   Her clients include financial institutions, professional service consultancies, lawyers and regulatory bodies, as well as companies, trustees and high net worth individuals.  Helena has also built up a significant body of cases acting for representative beneficiaries, most recently in relation to the BT Pension Scheme and the BBC Pension Scheme – both in the High Court and Court of Appeal.   These cases require careful management, both in terms of the complexity of the legal issues involved and the high profile nature of the work and size of the employer involved, the latter two of which often come with a complicated communications exercise with members as well substantive interaction with various unions.

Helena's practice includes, amongst her 'bread and butter work', acting for both claimants and defendants in complex professional negligence claims involving pension schemes and the advice given in relation to these by a range of professionals, and her work has also expanded further into claims for negligence involving both the regulated and unregulated investment consultancy field. She is acting on various cases arising from the LDI crisis, particularly where pooled funds have caused losses, with claims against investment consultants and asset managers for breach of contract and professional negligence.  Helena has also regularly dealt with cases involving rectification and construction in a pensions context, as well as acting for trustees and companies in assisting with resolving such cases, where possible, without the need for risky and expensive court applications.

Helena's team has, for many years, been highly ranked for pensions litigation in both Legal 500 and Chambers. Helena has herself been ranked in the Chambers' Hall of Fame since 2012 and is a Leading Individual in Legal 500.  Over the years, Helena has received a number of accolades from her clients who, amongst other things, describe her as "a force to be reckoned with. She is both measured and fierce at the same time. She is also funny, down-to-earth and very smart…she doesn’t sit on the fence or hedge her bets when advising. This clarity and frankness is refreshing" (Legal 500). Her clients consistently highlight the value of having Helena fight their corner: "She's the quintessential litigator; you always want her in your team" (Chambers); "Helena Berman is a first-rate litigator who any client would want to have on their side" (Chambers).