Pension Transfer Specialist Adviser in City of London

Would you like to join an expanding and dynamic market leading pensions practice in one of the world’s most prestigious law firms? We are offering a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious individual to join us as an Associate in our pensions practice. We offer a highly competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

Slaughter and May is recognised for exceptional legal service, commerciality and commitment to clients. We advise on a spectrum of legal matters, often high-profile, ground-breaking and complex.

Our Pensions practice is part of our integrated Pensions, Employment and Incentives group which is led by 5 Partners and has more than 30 non-partner fee earners and Knowledge Counsel and Knowledge Officer.

Associates work on:

• Highly technical benefit issues (GMP/Virgin Media/equalisation issues on buy-outs/pensions tax), funding negotiations on valuations and transactions;
• Investment advice including strategy implementation;
• Dispute resolution – member, IDRP and PO complaints for trustee clients, Part 8, professional negligence and rectification applications to Senior Courts and TPR investigations and proceedings.

Recent current examples include questions of construction regarding scheme amendment powers following on from the BBC Pension Scheme cases and ongoing High Court litigation. Pensions Associates work closely with colleagues in Disputes and Investigations.

De-risking through buy-ins/outs – we have advised on many of the biggest transactions in UK market history, including the £7.5 billion buy-in of the British Steel Pension Scheme and on the £6.5 billion buy-in of RSA’s two schemes with Pensions Insurance Corporation. We also act regularly for insurers, such as Legal & General, Aviva and PIC; we advised Legal & General on the £4.6 billion buy-in with Ford’s pension schemes and the £4.8 billion full buy-in for the Boots Pension Scheme.

This requires both technical expertise and commercial deal management. Examples include advising Vodafone on the pensions aspects of its agreement with CK Hutchison Group, owner of Three UK, to merge their respective UK telecommunications businesses to create the UK’s largest mobile operator, working with our Corporate team to advise Spectris on the pensions aspects of its competitive takeover by KKR and Reckitt Benckiser on the pensions aspects of the divestment of its Essential Home business.

We have an extensive database of precedent advice and standard form documents managed by our Knowledge Lawyer team and a dedicated team know-how specialist. We run regular technical and BD training programmes. Associates have access to a dedicated and experienced pension knowledge lawyer.

Key responsibilities include:

• Drafting, reviewing and amending the legal and commercial aspects of pensions-related and pension scheme documentation;
• Taking responsibility for pensions aspects of transactions;
• Developing the practice by promoting the firm, both to existing and potential clients and by contributing to the creation of know-how, including client bulletins and other client and firm-facing training events.

A strong academic record and being at ease thinking fast and being able to reflect and identify the essence of a client’s query is essential. The ability to communicate succinctly, projecting confidence in both legal and commercial analysis underpinning the advice is crucial.

First rate legal and technical skills combined with pragmatism, commercial knowledge and application are required. Experience in running negotiations and other meetings with limited supervision is also important.

The vast majority of the work undertaken in the Pensions, Employment and Incentives group is international. Many of our clients are based overseas and the nature of our domestic client base is such that most of them have considerable overseas interests.

Our Best Friends network ensures that we and our clients have access to the very best international legal advice which in turn enables us to see more than our fair share of the most interesting global disputes and investigations.

We operate an open-door policy and actively encourage discussion and knowledge sharing. Our practice holds regular social and team building events. The firm has eleven diversity networks. Our aim is to foster a spirit of inclusion. We welcome applications irrespective of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, belief or marital status.