Pensions Senior Associate

This is a fantastic opportunity to
join an experienced and well respected team and be involved in the
whole spectrum of pensions work. You will have access to a broad
range of high quality work, including contentious and
non-contentious matters in both the private and public sectors. From
the outset, you will be a valued member of the team and have the
opportunity to work on some high profile matters, build client
relationships and develop your business development skills.
The practice
"They absolutely get inside
the skin of their clients and you know they are batting for
you." - Chambers UK
The team advises employers,
trustees and local authorities in order to help them run their
pension schemes compliantly, while managing risks. We also run one
of the UK's leading independent trustee companies, Open Trustees, so
we have direct experience of operating pension schemes.
Our lawyers have the opportunity
to advise on a variety of pensions issues from risk reduction and
risk transfer exercises (such as buy-ins and buyouts and alternative
funding arrangements) to advising pension schemes going through a
Pension Protection Fund ("PPF") assessment period, or an
Administering Authority on matters relating to the Local Government
Pension Scheme ("LGPS"). We also have particular expertise
in the pensions aspects of corporate acquisitions and disposals,
scheme mergers, government outsourcings, insolvencies,
restructurings and wind-ups.
One aspect of our work which sets
the team apart is that our lawyers also have the opportunity to act
for employers, trustees and representative beneficiaries on complex
litigation claims, including professional negligence and Part 8
claims.
The team
Our team are noted for their
'all-round expertise' and for having 'good strength in depth with
shared knowledge' - Legal 500
Led by Jonathan Hazlett (Partner)
who is rated in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500, our team
currently comprises of 6 further partners, 3 Legal Directors, 5
Associate Directors, 4 Senior Associates, 2 Associates, 1 Solicitor
Apprentice, 1 Trainee Solicitor, 2 Pensions Directors, 1 Pensions
Manager, 2 Scheme Managers, 1 Trust Officer and 1 Administrative Assistant.
The work
Work carried out by the team includes:
As a member of the PPF's legal
panel, we provide advice to trustees and the PPF in relation to
schemes progressing through a PPF assessment period including in
relation to recent high-profile insolvencies including the first
scheme rescue. Our trustee company, Open Trustees, is also one of
only five firms appointed to the PPF's trustee advisory panel.
Recently reappointed to the LGPS
national framework panel following a competitive tender, we
provide a full range of LGPS related services to LGPS funds across
England and Wales, including scheme administration, outsourcing,
benefits, dispute resolution and investment advice.
Advice to employers and trustees
on future benefit design changes , including negotiating terms,
inputting into consultation exercises, advising on changes to
complex benefit structures and responding to member enquiries
Advice to employers and trustees
on a broad spread of risk transfer exercises. The team advise on
all aspects of buy-ins and buy-outs including all of the legal,
financial, investment, administration and member communication
issues that arise. We work with all of the insurers currently
active in this market.
Advice to employers and trustees
on liability management exercises, including enhanced transfer
value exercises, pension increase exchanges, trivial commutation exercises.
Advice to employers and trustees
in relation to scheme errors, benefit corrections and rectification.
Advice in relation to
investigations by the Pensions Regulator regarding the possible
use of the Regulator's powers.
Acting for representative
beneficiaries in litigation relating to pension schemes. Examples
include acting for one of the representative beneficiaries in the
complex litigation surrounding the Gleeds Retirement Benefits
Scheme (High Court and the Court of Appeal), advising a
representative beneficiary in relation to the High Court and Court
of Appeal proceedings brought by Honda Motor Europe Limited
arising out of a mistake in the rules of its pension scheme, and
advising the representative defendant on the Axminster Carpets
pension scheme litigation concerning limitation periods and
forfeiture clauses.
Drafting and amending pension
scheme documentation and member communications.
Technical skills and experience
You will have some knowledge and
transactional experience of working for pension (or other) clients
in a variety of capacities. Ideally, you will have gained experience
in non-contentious pensions work in another pensions team. Due to
the nature of the work and structure of the team we are looking to
appoint an Associate or Senior Associate in this area, however we
are willing to consider candidates with more or less experience
(including with other legal expertise).
Your career development
Like all our lawyers, you will
benefit from our multi-award winning career development programme.
At each stage of your career this provides you with:
clear expectations of your role
and what it takes to progress;
high quality clients and work,
with early responsibility and client exposure;
thorough assessment and
individual feedback from a range of experienced colleagues;
robust technical training with
early skills based development, increasingly tailored to you; and
reward for your contribution,
progression and potential, rather than PQE or tenure.
Salary and benefits
We offer competitive salaries and
generous benefits.
For more information or to apply
At Osborne Clarke we welcome
direct applications - if you would like any further information
about the role, or the firm, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Please contact, in complete confidence, Angharad Jenkins in the
Recruitment team on 0117 917 3127 or email
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Being an inclusive employer is
important to us and we are committed to ensuring every applicant's
recruitment experience is free from unnecessary barriers. If you
have a dis/ability+, to include physical disability, hidden
disability, long-term health condition or neurodivergence and meet
with requirements listed in this job advert, we would be delighted
to offer you a guaranteed interview.
No agencies please.
Please note that although we include closing dates for our roles
as a guide, we review and progress applications on a rolling basis.
At
Osborne Clarkewe
value difference and encourage applicants from all social
backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, gender identities, and
sexual or romantic orientations. We want everyone to feel that OC
is a place where you can be yourself and where you belong, and our
range of interest groups and diversity networks - not to mention
our great teams - are a part of making that a reality.
We support working families via a range of family and caring
friendly policies and will accommodate flexible working where we
can. We value the health and wellbeing of our people: for example,
we're signatories to the Mindful Business Charter, have an active
network of mental health champions and offer free initiatives and
flexible benefits to all our people.
Being an inclusive employer is important to us. We have made a
number of external commitments such as the Race Fairness
Commitment and Women in Law Pledge, and are working with
organisations like Stonewall to become a more inclusive employer.
Osborne Clarke is a Living Wage Employer, so we're committed to
paying everybody in our business enough to live on and to enable
them to save for the future.
We want you to be able to show us your best during the
recruitment process. If you require any adjustments to be made
during the application, interview process or when working with us,
please let us know.
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