United Kingdom - Scotland • Employment
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Pensions

Brodies LLP

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While pension trustees form the bulk of Brodies LLP’s client roster, the team also receives instructions from employers, public sector pension funds and councils. Edinburgh-based practice head Juliet Bayne handles defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes encompassing both the public and private sectors; her experience reflects the team’s recent workload, including corporate transactions and restructurings, transfers to master trusts and liability management exercises, among others. Jennifer Crawford, who was promoted to senior associate in November 2022, is experienced in advising both sponsoring employers and trustee boards. Former legal director Mairi Carlin left in April 2022 to work in-house.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Brodies has always been able to navigate issues, and provide solid advice to trustees. They have an established and respected offering.’

  • ‘Juliet Bayne and Jennifer Crawford are very professional and interact well with other trustee advisers to ensure integrated and quality advice for their clients.’

  • 'Responsive team with a wealth of knowledge.’

  • ‘Prompt and efficient communicators.’

  • ‘Extremely professional, always willing to explain technical legal pension matters in an understandable way, and empathetic when dealing with difficult and distressing matters.’

  • ‘Juliet Bayne is extremely knowledgeable and very highly respected within the pensions sphere. Honesty, integrity and a strong ethic to do the right thing for a scheme's members shine through.'

  • 'Jennifer Crawford has a strong desire to do the best for scheme members.'

  • 'Juliet Bayne and her team were immensely helpful in guiding us through the details of the applicable regulations, especially during the period when the pension laws in the UK were undergoing major amendments.'

Key clients

  • Trustee of the Menzies Pension Fund
  • Yoon & Yang LLC
  • Trustees of the Howden Group Pension Plan
  • The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
  • Trustee of the Berry UK Pension Scheme
  • Trustees of the Aviagen Pension and Life Assurance Scheme
  • Strathclyde Students' Union
  • Trustees of the AES Ballylumford Pension Scheme
  • Trustees of The Morris & Spottiswood Pension Scheme
  • The Morris & Spottiswood Employees' Pension Scheme
  • Axis Capital Holdings Limited

Work highlights

  • Advised the trustee of the Menzies Pension Fund on the £763m City Takeover Code acquisition of the scheme's sponsoring employer.
  • Advised Korean law firm, Yoon & Yang LLC, on a group restructuring and sale involving the exit of a UK subsidiary of Korean giant, Doosan Enerbility Co. Limited, from a defined benefit pension scheme.
  • Advised the trustee of Smith Anderson & Company Limited 1973 Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme on GMP equalisation issues.

Lawyers

Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Jennifer Crawford
Brodies LLP
Jen has specialised in pensions law since 2011 and is regularly involved in working with other specialisms including corporate, employment and real estate to ensure that clients receive holistic advice on projects incorporating pensions considerations. A member of the Association of Pension Lawyers, she delivers practical advice on a wide range of current pensions issues including employer debt, risk reduction exercises, flexible apportionment arrangements, scheme mergers, scheme re-documentation and cessation of accrual.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Juliet Bayne
Brodies LLP
Juliet is head of our pensions law practice area. Her hallmark is building strong, mutual and sustainable client relationships through clear and personable communication, coupled with practical and pragmatic advice.Juliet's knowledge is wide-ranging and relates to defined benefit and money purchase arrangements, acting for both trustees and employers in the private and public sectors. Her experience includes advising on the pensions aspects of corporate transactions/restructuring, advising on the Employer Debt legislation, scheme mergers and wind ups, transfers to master trusts, advising on liability reduction/risk management projects, compliance with the Automatic Enrolment regulations and advising on Pension Protection Fund matters and litigation cases. Juliet also has considerable experience in negotiating with, and reporting to, the Pensions Regulator.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Juliet Bayne

Other key lawyers

Jennifer Crawford, Maureen Burns

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