Pensions litigation

Our Pensions litigation team operates out of our London office, as the prevalence in the UK of large, privately funded occupational pension scheme inevitably gives rise to disputes.

We provide commercial and practical solutions to trustees and sponsors of occupational pension schemes facing disputes, court actions or regulatory proceedings.  We advise on disputes relating to the construction of trust documentation, breaches of trust, breaches of employment contracts, statutory interpretation, equalisation and benefit related disputes.

A combination of increased regulation, difficult funding conditions and greater scrutiny of trustee action has led to a need for employers and trustees to ensure that schemes are well administered and any problems identified and resolved promptly. The focus of our practice is to provide pragmatic and proactive assistance to sponsors and trustees in identifying and resolving issues to resolve potentially contentious disputes without the need to resort to formal proceedings.  Where appropriate we make use of alternative dispute resolution, including mediated and negotiated settlements. However there remain situations in which the assistance of the courts proves essential or regulatory intervention inevitable, and in these situations we provide a full litigation service staffed by specialist pension lawyers.