Pensions Disputes

Our team has a deep understanding of how schemes operate in practice and specialist litigation expertise and experience.

Our dedicated Pensions Dispute Resolution Group leads tailored teams that draw on our full service capabilities, led by our Pensions and Dispute Resolutions lawyers, to help clients achieve their objectives as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Our lawyers have acted on some of the industry's best-known contentious matters, including Lehman, Maxwell, Coloroll, Bradstock, KPMG v Aon, ITN v Ward and Stena Line v MNRPF.

We regularly assist clients in connection with regulatory actions initiated by the Pensions Regulator and act for trustees, employers and representative beneficiaries in connection with applications for court directions or declarations in relation to pension scheme documents. We also act in connection with a variety of disputes with a pensions aspect, including professional negligence claims against administrators and other advisers, and disputes in relation to pension fund investments. All our pensions specialists are experienced in advising trustees and employers in connection with complaints brought by members under scheme internal dispute resolution procedures or to the Pensions Ombudsman.

Industry appointments

We participate in a wide range of pensions industry groups. See our full list of industry appointments.

Acting for Stena Line Limited as a representative employer in the litigation and settlement of complex historical benefit issues in the industry-wide Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund. Described in court as one of the most complex pensions settlements ever, the resolution of the proceedings provides closure and greater certainty for employers and members and for the future administration and funding of the scheme.
Acting for the employer and trustees of a scheme in a claim for professional negligence arising out of the drafting of a deed of amendment relating to post-Barber equalisation.
Representing Stena Line Limited in proceedings in the High Court and the Court Appeal which brought about new funding arrangements for the industry- wide Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund, requiring former employers to pay deficit contributions and reducing the burden for our client.

Acting for the trustees of the ITN Pensions Scheme in the High Court proceedings in connection with the proper interpretation of rules in the scheme documents relating to spouse's pensions.
Representing the trustees of the Lehman Brothers Pension Scheme before the Determinations Panel and various Upper Tribunal hearings in relation to the proposed issue by the Pensions Regulator of a financial support direction against various entities in the Lehman Brothers group, including successfully defeating the administrator's challenge to the Court of Appeal as to whether the trustees could refer certain aspects of the Determinations Panel's decision to the Upper Tribunal.
Acting for NILGOSC in Court proceedings relating to who was responsible for the liabilities of certain deferred members of the Northern Ireland local government pension scheme which NILGOSC has statutory responsibility to administer.