Peter is head of Pensions & Investment Litigation and has over 20 years’ litigation experience, 17 of those solely dealing with pensions-related disputes.
Since their inception in 2005, Peter has been at the cutting edge of the development of the Pensions Regulator’s enforcement powers (often in an insolvency or ‘distressed’ environment).
Peter’s practice also includes high value High Court litigation such as: claims seeking rectification and other declaratory relief; investment-related claims involving pension schemes; and professional negligence claims (acting for both claimants and defendants).
Recent High Court cases in which Peter has acted include: ITV, Europe Arab Bank, and Citifinancial Europe – all of which concerned rectification of pension scheme documentation, obtained by summary judgment and/or by court-approved compromise; Halcrow – known as Pollock v Reed, a test case concerning trustees’ powers and propriety in a benefit restructuring situation; and United Utilities – enforcement of a disputed section 75 debt.
Peter also has significant experience of mediation, largely in the professional negligence context.
‘Second-to-none’ boutique firm Sacker & Partners LLP focuses exclusively on pensions work. The litigation team deals mainly with professional negligence cases, rectification actions, member complaints, regulatory investigations, and risk management work. Practice head Peter Murphy is commended by clients for offering a ‘Rolls Royce service’ and is especially experienced in enforcement cases. James Bingham, who is noted for his provision of ’sensible advice‘, is experienced in complex High Court claims as well as recovery actions. ’Excellent‘ senior counsel Arshad Khan’s recent work includes high-stakes professional negligence claims worth in excess of £100m.
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Testimonials
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- ‘Peter Murphy and Arshad Khan are both very impressive - incredible knowledge of pensions law and a pleasure to work with.’
- ‘Sackers has the ability to call on the most appropriate expertise within the company to deal quickly with your specific query or request for help. The team will follow through the query until is fully resolved and settled to the customer's satisfaction.’
- ‘James Bingham is always engaged and offers sensible advice that clients can understand and appreciate. He involves and trusts his associates who always deliver.’
- ‘The dispute resolution practice at Sackers is second-to-none. The team are very experienced, and they clearly set out what they believe is the right approach in dealing with the dispute and the required outcome.’
- ‘I work with Sackers on complex complaint cases, and they are always extremely efficient in providing their legal guidance and drafting responses where necessary. I greatly value their flexibility in joining calls to discuss cases, or technical points, and the way that they communicate their guidance in plain English.’
- 'Peter Murphy offers a Rolls Royce service where you know you are in good hands from start to finish. There is nothing about pensions litigation that he doesn't know about, and he always makes you feel confident about the outcome.’
- ‘They are a leading pensions law firm - brilliant at understanding and dealing with the complexities of pension litigation.’
Key clients
- Honda Motor Europe Limited and Honda Group UK Pension Scheme
- GEAPS Pension Scheme
- John Lewis Partnership Trust for Pensions
- ITV Pension Scheme
- Arup UK Pension Scheme
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc
- Nationwide Pension Fund
- Yorkshire & Clydesdale Bank Pension Scheme
- DHL Group Retirement Plan
- GSK Pension Scheme
Work highlights
- Advised the company and the trustee of the Honda Group UK Pension Scheme in complex and high-value High Court proceedings alleging negligence against their former pension consultants, Mercer.
- Acted for the Trustees of the Arup Pension Scheme in relation to the recovery of large sums that were overpaid to Scheme members following administrative errors.
- Advised new and longstanding clients on investigations into losses incurred due to investments in pooled liability driven investment funds (LDI), and on merits assessments of potential claims.
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Arshad is a member of our specialist Pensions & investment litigation team. He has over 20 years’ experience in contentious pensions work, advising clients throughout that time on pensions disputes and litigation matters.
He specialises in member disputes both under clients’ internal disputes processes and before the Pensions Ombudsman and the Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman regarding challenges to PPF levies. Arshad has also been involved in contentious matters involving The Pensions Regulator and the Financial Assistance Scheme.
Like all members of our team, Arshad excels in resolving knotty, complex and novel matters.
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James is a partner in our specialist pensions litigation team. His practice covers the full spectrum of pensions related litigation.
He has been involved in a wide variety of cases and has extensive experience of dealing with investigations by the Pensions Regulator in both a defined benefit and a defined contribution context.
James has also worked on a number of significant High Court case, including: Wedgwood v Salt – acting for the representative beneficiary in Part 8 proceedings concerning the closure of the Scheme to future accrual prior to the Scheme entering the PPF; and Saga Group Ltd v Paul – acting for the employer and the trustee jointly in rectification and professional negligence proceedings relating to certain errors in the Scheme documentation.
James has been involved in advising both trustee and adviser clients on professional negligence actions, focusing on the needs of the client and works to ensure that the best possible result is achieved, often through mediation or other forms of ADR.
James also frequently works with the firm’s ongoing clients to provide advice and guidance in relation to complaints brought by members under the scheme’s internal dispute resolution procedure and ultimately to the Pensions Ombudsman.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Peter Murphy