Pensions

Brian Green KC is one of the leading lights in the pensions industry. He is frequently seen on some of the most high-profile and significant pieces of litigation. He brings well-honed advocacy skills to his litigation and offers expertise in tax and trusts law. He is noted for his experience advising on charity and legacy public sector schemes.

"Brian Green is absolutely the cream of the crop. He is probably the most illustrious barrister. He has real gravitas and superlative confidence."

"Brian has a superb mind, is a wonderful advocate and cares deeply about winning."

"He is a big gun that gets the big jobs. If he is on a case you know it's a big deal."

"Brian's analysis and advocacy are always incisive and creative. He goes straight to the heart of the issue and spots the angles that other counsel miss."

Edward Sawyer is a gifted and experienced pensions barrister who has appeared in several high-profile cases affecting the industry. He is often involved in long-running litigation with international elements concerning pension schemes and the Pensions Regulator. He also has prior experience of advising on professional negligence allegations.

"Edward is capable of working on complex matters at a very high level of skill and expertise."

"Edward is thorough, calm and collected, and very reliable. He is a good all-round junior."

"Edward is very good. He's very considered and looks at all the detail."

"Edward covers the technical and practical sides. He sees things from different angles."

Jonathan Hilliard KC is widely regarded as the go-to barrister for technical pensions issues, and he represents parties in a broad array of cases. He has significant experience in liberation, moral hazard and professional negligence matters. He is sought after by the Pensions Regulator, as well as sponsors and trustees. He has appeared in courts at all levels of the British judicial system, as well as the CJEU.

"Jonathan is an intellectual and lateral thinker and super hard-working."

"Jonathan is phenomenally clever and drives things forward. He sees things that others don't."

"Jonathan's technical ability is second to none. He is also very open and easy to deal with."

"Jonathan looks at a problem from all angles and provides clear and pragmatic advice. He is open to discussing alternative views and responds quickly to queries."

Michael Tennet KC is one of the leading silks for pensions. He is a master in regulatory matters and additionally specialises in actuarial issues. He is regularly seen in some of the pension industry's most high-profile and contentious cases. His broad experience includes advising trustees, employers and representative beneficiaries.

"Mike is a fighter in court and leaves no stone unturned."

"Michael is a stellar strategist and he is someone that you will never be concerned about putting in front of clients."

"Michael Tennet is exceptionally bright and is able to convey complex issues in an easily understandable manner."

"He is extremely responsive, including where there are very compressed timescales on urgent matters, and is open to considering questions and alternative perspectives."

"He brings clear expertise in pensions and standout strategic vision."

Paul Newman KC is highly regarded in the industry. He acts on the full range of pension matters and is particularly recommended for high-profile, intricate cases. He acts for a diverse set of clients, including a number of FTSE 100 companies, trustees, the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund. He is also an accomplished adviser on allegations of professional negligence.

"His energy and drive to find the answer and work with us to meet our objectives is second to none."

"Paul is great technically. He is very obviously committed to winning and is full of ideas."

"Paul is amazing, what more can I say? He is highly professional, straightforward and thoroughly prepared for the advocacy."

"He is commercially astute and tactical in his approach to cases, making concessions where necessary to retain credibility."

"Paul is always practical and robust in his opinion. He never sits on the fence and is a punchy advocate."

Andrew Mold KC garners considerable praise for his impressive ability in major pensions cases. He specialises in professional negligence and the regulatory aspects of complex pensions cases. He is experienced in appellate matters, including those before the Supreme Court.

"Andrew is the right level of cautious yet commercial and is very user-friendly."

"Andrew Mold is quietly brilliant. His razor-sharp intellect enables him to see to the heart of a problem very quickly and to marshal his arguments clearly."

"Andrew provides clear and succinct advice in a timely fashion."

Fenner Moeran KC is an impressive advocate who is particularly well versed in pension liberation, fraud and moral hazard disputes. He frequently represents trustees,insurance companies and employers, as well as the Pensions Regulator and the government.

"Fenner is truly excellent and has got an incredibly quick brain, but he can pick up both the mood of a meeting and a courtroom very quickly and adjust the submissions."

"Fenner is clearly able to get the judge on side and he is very efficient."

"He's very robust and cuts right to the issue and is able to convey his advice."

"Fenner is really responsive, very experienced and really good to work with."

James Walmsley is an established pensions junior who is highly reputed for his diligent work ethic. He is well versed in regulatory investigations and rectification actions.

"James turns things around very promptly and provides considered and pragmatic advice."

"James is incredibly thorough and a fantastic team player."

Jennifer Seaman is well respected in the pensions arena. She offers expertise in a wide range of cases, including civil fraud, professional negligence and regulatory matters. She has represented clients solely before the High Court and appeared in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. She is particularly knowledgeable on trustee powers.

"Jenny is an excellent junior who provides clear advice that is pragmatic and offers the clients commercial solutions."

"She is very measured and thoughtful in her written work and as an advocate. She is very quietly confident."

"Jennifer is willing to engage directly with the clients and comfortable taking on additional responsibility as instructions progress, making her extremely easy to work with."

"She is incredibly bright and very quick off the mark."

Michael Furness KC enjoys broad expertise in occupational pensions and other relevant areas, including tax law and trust litigation. He is well known for engaging in international litigation in offshore jurisdictions. Trustee boards and large household-name employers seek out his counsel.

"He is brilliant in court. Judges really listen to him and respect him, and he has a very measured approach to his advocacy."

"Michael Furness is intellectually brilliant but also very practical and easy to deal with."

Sebastian Allen is a well-regarded junior with experience in the full spectrum of pensions cases. He has advised and advocated on some of the most large-scale pensions matters including benefits indexation, equalisation and moral hazard proceedings.

"Sebastian is a pleasure to work with - responsive, technically very strong and pragmatic."

"Sebastian is very friendly. He works very well in a team and is somebody who is an absolute workhorse as well."

"Sebastian is a strong technical barrister who is very approachable and good with clients."

"Sebastian has always been very responsive and knowledgeable on the matters in question."

Thomas Robinson enjoys a wealth of experience in regulatory, moral hazard and insolvency cases all the way up to the Supreme Court. He is highly valued by the Pensions Regulator, especially for moral hazard cases. He also has experience in professional negligence cases.

"Technically Tom is excellent, and he's very calm and present and just easy to deal with."

"Thomas was very calm, intelligent, easy to work with and measured."

"Tom is a charming senior junior who works in true partnership with instructing solicitors. Clients appreciate his calm and measured approach to matters and recognise his intellect."

"A talented barrister with a lovely way with clients."

James McCreath acts for employers, trustees and scheme members in a variety of pension disputes. He has gained particular exposure to Section 75 debt claims and regulatory cases, as well as professional negligence allegations in the pensions arena.

"James is phenomenally clever, unflappable and doesn't make a fuss."

"James is very intelligent and brilliant on strategy."

"He is a delight to work with, extremely clever and combines insight with very sound judgement."

"James is very clever and across all of the detail. He is very personable and easy to work with."

Emily McKechnie is a well-reputed chancery lawyer whose expertise in pensions is complemented by her burgeoning reputation in professional negligence. Her client roster includes representative beneficiaries, company sponsors and the Pension Protection Fund.

"Emily can explain complicated things simply and is very calm and lovely to deal with."

"Emily produces consistently thorough and well-analysed advice on pensions matters."

Jonathan Chew is well versed in pensions regulation. He has experience of scheme restructurings, changes to pension increases and rectification claims, among other pensions issues.

"Jonathan is excellent. He is very technical, thorough and commercially minded."

"Jonathan is a very good junior. He is commercially astute and very user-friendly."

Joseph Steadman has an impressively wide-ranging pensions practice that sees him acting for employers, trustees, members and the Pensions Regulator. He has in-depth knowledge of proceedings brought under Part 8 of the CPR, as well as disputes over transfers. Steadman has the capabilities to handle both commercial and private pensions matters.

"Joseph Steadman is good on the detail, commercial and turns the work around quickly."

"He is sound and completely gets it. He has great judgement and gives advice that everyone understands."

"Joseph is extremely responsive and understands the wider objectives and perspectives of both instructing solicitors and the client."

Michael Ashdown enjoys a strong reputation among employers and trustees for his experience in regulatory matters. He is also noted for his expertise in negligence claims.

"Michael is a pleasure to work with. He is user-friendly and unbelievably smart."

"Michael is definitely a rising star."

"Michael is attuned to the needs of his client and is completely on top of the facts."

Thomas Seymour is a highly experienced junior barrister with a broad commercial chancery practice encompassing both pensions and trusts.

"Thomas is charming to deal with and highly experienced."