Managing Associate/Legal Director - Pensions in Bristol

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We have an excellent opportunity for a Managing Associate or Legal Director to join TLT’s growing national Pensions team. This role is to be based in either our Birmingham, Bristol, or Manchester office. We operate national service lines and our client base is not limited by location; we work entirely on the basis that the best‑placed individual supports the client.

This role is offered with TLT’s progressive fully flexible working approach “TLT World” and can be either full or part-time. TLT World empowers our people to work in a place and at a time that meets their needs, those of their clients and the wider team and firm. Part of this agile approach is a focus on hybrid working and supporting the wellbeing and work‑life balance of our people.

Your Role

• Manage a varied caseload of work, spanning a broad range of pension matters
• Advise on all aspects of pension schemes, including employer and trustee advisory work, buy‑ins and buy‑outs, master trusts, SIPPs and SSASs, with a focus on multinational clients and central government
• 90% of the work is stand‑alone pensions advice and 10% is working in partnership with other TLT national teams including litigation, financial services regulatory, corporate, employment, commercial, insolvency and social housing
• Work directly with trustees, employers and benefit consultancies, both nationally and internationally to give pensions advice and establish your own relationship with clients
• Have the opportunity to develop your own clients and new areas of expertise
• Collaborate closely with our Partners, assisting with complex work and long‑term projects
• Support and supervise junior members within the team, assisting their development and career growth
• Be encouraged to map out your own development, with a clear pathway to progression
• Take an active involvement in business development initiatives

Your Skills & Experience

• A Qualified Solicitor (SRA or Law Society Registered), ideally with 6+ years PQE (or equivalent) with a strong background in a pensions‑focused role
• Excellent pensions technical skills and knowledge acquired at a recognised pensions practice
• Experience with SIPP or SSAS would be highly desirable, though is not essential
• A forward thinker, with excellent analytical, communication and organisational skills, you will be self‑motivated with the ability to manage workloads and deadlines
• An ability to give succinct legal advice in an efficient manner whilst understanding and anticipating the commercial needs and objectives of the client
• Commercially aware with enthusiasm for business development and an appetite for keeping up to date with the latest developments in pensions law and regulation
• A client‑focussed approach with the ability to nurture long‑standing relationships, both with external clients and internally
• Proven experience of supervising and/or managing junior team members
• Eager to contribute to our collaborative culture, with an ambition to assist in the development of junior team members
• The drive and ambition to succeed as a key senior component of the team at TLT, with the commitment to developing the firm’s offering locally and nationally

Your Team

Formed in 2001, the TLT national Pensions Team has five senior team members recognised in Chambers & Partners and is ranked in Bristol, Manchester and London in Legal 500. The team is on a growth trajectory – recent joiners include Clare Grice, partner, who joined together with Fiona Goodman from Mills & Reeve and newly qualified lawyers from Eversheds and home‑grown at TLT.

Sasha Butterworth, TLT’s Senior Partner, leads the team together with three other Partners, also working closely with the Pensions Litigation Team. The team is described in Chambers UK by an impressed source as \”The best pension lawyers I have ever dealt with: they are responsive and practical.\”

We were shortlisted in the ‘Pension Lawyers of the Year’ category at the prestigious UK Pensions Awards 2024, recognising our significant achievements and our investment in innovation through legal tech to make pensions advice more accessible to clients, including our Pensions Governance Hub online solution.

As evidenced by our impressive track record of promotions in our team, we place a high value on training and development. We pride ourselves on having an open and supportive culture to help team members thrive and achieve their potential.

About TLT

Fast‑paced, fast growing and forward‑thinking, TLT is the law firm that helps clients stay one step ahead, and we do the same for our people.

We work with high‑profile clients in innovative sectors. With local, national and international reach, we have over 1,800 people in offices across the UK and a network of partner firms across Europe, India and the US. TLT was named Law Firm of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2023. This marks the third year in a row the firm has taken away this accolade in industry awards – having previously been named Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards in 2021 and the British Legal Awards in 2022.

Our purpose is to protect, prepare and progress our clients for what comes next and it’s essential that we do the same for our people, our planet and our communities too. In our open and collaborative culture, we encourage everyone to be their whole self, to have a voice and to contribute.