David James

Practice Areas

David is a partner and head of our Pensions Department at Travers Smith.

David specialises in advising on the duties of trustees and sponsoring employers in relation to occupational pension schemes.

Experience

David's experience includes advising on the following:

the duties of trustees and sponsoring employers

funding negotiations

contingent assets

exit debts

changing sponsoring employers

Pensions Regulator powers and investigations

governance requirements

pension scheme benefits

member communications

pensions complaints and litigation

pensions investments

buy-ins and buyouts

automatic enrolment requirements

pension scheme mergers

transfers to master trusts

corporate activity and its impact on pension schemes

negotiations between trustees, sponsoring employers, sellers and purchasers as a result of corporate activity

winding-up pension schemes.

Industry involvement

David is a member of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association Legal Panel, the Society of Pension Professionals Defined Contribution Committee, the Association of Pension Lawyers, UK Private Capital's (formerly the BVCA) technical group looking at pension scheme investments in private capital and is a member of the committee for the next International Pension & Employee Benefits Lawyers Association (IPEBLA) conference in Milan.

Charity support

David has provided pensions advice to the Domestic Violence Intervention Project on a pro bono basis. He also supports Refugees at Home a charitable organisation that connects those with a spare room in their home with asylum seekers and refugees in need of accommodation, and he also assists the Doris Banham Dog Rescue.