About

Provided by Stephenson Harwood LLP

Our clients range from pension scheme trustees to sponsoring employers; from multi-nationals and banks to charities and not-for-profits; from actuaries and scheme administrators to lawyers and documentation providers. We work with pension consultants to help them with remediation projects arising from systemic issues, advising upon scheme unauthorised payment issues, client-money issues, referrals to regulatory bodies (including the Pensions Regulator and IoFA), professional standards, and problems arising from transfers (including enhanced due diligence obligations). 

Key work includes dealing with professional negligence claims and the often-associated rectification/construction applications.

The team are highly experienced in all types of pensions disputes cases, including:

  • pursuing, or defending, professional negligence cases
  • construction and rectification cases
  • challenges to exercises of discretion by trustees
  • moral hazard cases and investigations by the Pensions Regulator 
  • judicial review and challenges to public bodies
  • alternative dispute resolution, ranging from mediation to arbitration
  • working with high-net worth individuals managing their pensions affairs and disputes
  • RPI/CPI disputes 
  • challenges to trustees' exercises of discretion 
  • cross-border disputes involving multi-national businesses and funding support
  • dealing with errors in the supply of services
  • acting for representative beneficiaries 







Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Pensions Litigation - UK-wide

2
Band 2

What the Team is Known For

Stephenson Harwood advises clients on the full range of pensions disputes. The team regularly handles investigations by the Pensions Regulator as well as offering expertise in relation to the pensions aspects of insolvency and professional negligence matters. The firm is also noted for its extensive work on rectification and construction cases.

Work Highlights

  • Stephenson Harwood acted for the representative beneficiary in proceedings regarding the BBC Pension Scheme and the scope of amendment powers.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

Helena Berman
1
Helena Berman
Head of Pensions Litigation
1
Band 1
Helena Berman is head of Stephenson Harwood's pensions disputes team and offers advice on pensions regulatory issues and rectification matters. She is also well regarded for handling professional negligence claims.

Helena provides excellent client service and is happy to help with the wide ranging selection of matters we point in her direction.

Helena is very tenacious and willing to fight for the client.

Helena Berman is really through and really bright. She's really invested in the outcome and holds our hand throughout the process.

Chris Edwards-Earl
4
Chris Edwards-Earl
4
Band 4
Chris Edwards-Earl is well regarded for handling a range of matters within the pensions space, including regulatory matters and rectification disputes.

Chris is an excellent lawyer with a very good understanding of pensions law, who delivers advice in an easily digestible way.

Chris is technically outstanding.

Chris is really good at thinking through what we really need and making sure that the advice is commercial.

Jenny McKeown
4
Jenny McKeown
Head of Pensions Litigation
4
Band 4
Jenny McKeown regularly represents scheme trustees and corporate sponsors in complex pensions disputes and negligence claims.

Jenny is technically excellent and has a great instinct for how to approach a dispute in a commercial way to shortcut to resolution.

Jenny is fantastic at case management and client management - she thinks about how to get to the optimum for clients and thinks long term.

Jenny is incredibly commercial and pragmatic, and also very emotionally intelligent in the way she manages matters. If I need someone to get in front of my business, she has a very nice approach.

Jenny is a very shrewd strategic litigator.

Maria Chami
Maria Chami
Associates to watch

Maria Chami is developing an impressive pensions dispute practice and is noted for her experience in handling professional negligence claims in a pensions context.

Maria is incredibly confident in terms of managing documents and understanding detail.

Maria is extremely detail orientated and provides thoughtful and commercially focused guidance.

Ranked Lawyers at
Stephenson Harwood LLP

Provided by Chambers
Filter by
Band

UK-wide

Pensions Litigation

Helena Berman
1
Helena Berman
Head of Pensions Litigation
1
Band 1
Chris Edwards-Earl
4
Chris Edwards-Earl
4
Band 4
Jenny McKeown
4
Jenny McKeown
Head of Pensions Litigation
4
Band 4
Maria Chami
Maria Chami
Associates to watch

Members

Provided by Stephenson Harwood LLP

Helena Berman

Helena Berman

Head of Department

Jenny McKeown

Jenny McKeown

Head of Department

Philip Goodchild

Head of Department