Pensions Services

Pensions are increasingly complex and highly-regulated, with pitfalls, penalties and risks for the unwary. We understand the industry challenges, can cut through complexity, explain regulation in practice, and help clients to manage risk and successfully navigate any challenges.

Our pensions practice advises on all aspects of pensions law.  We advise businesses on their obligations, rights, and duties, whether in relation to their own private sector pension schemes or their participation in public sector schemes.  We will work with your other professional advisers in establishing, amending, closing, winding-up or merging pension arrangements.  We can also advise you on the legal issues concerning scheme deficits and the potential strategies to manage these.

We also regularly advise trustees, scheme administrators and pension providers on their obligations, rights, and duties under pensions, trust, and tax law. 

Specific areas of advice

Our pensions practice assists at all stages of corporate deals. We work with corporate colleagues in carrying out due diligence, reporting on issues and identifying potential solutions. We ensure that pensions are covered in the documentation and provide suitable warranties and indemnities. We can also help you liaise with the pension scheme trustees and the Pensions Regulator to move matters forward with the minimum of friction.

We assist employment colleagues in drafting the pensions clauses in employment contracts, staff handbooks and settlement agreements and in advising employers on their obligations generally, including under automatic enrolment.  We also assist with staff consultations where changes to pension schemes are proposed and with the pension issues arising from redundancy exercises.

We can provide bespoke or standard documentation, including deeds establishing or amending pension schemes, appointing or removing trustees, or for employers to cease or commence participation in an occupational pension scheme.

Where pension scheme members raise concerns about their schemes, Vialex can assess the issues that are in dispute and help try and resolve these before a formal complaint is made. If that is not possible, we can advise employers or the managers or trustees of the pension scheme on defending complaints under their scheme’s internal dispute resolution (IDR) procedures and/or with the Pensions Ombudsman. We can also assist occupational pension schemes in putting in place appropriate IDR procedures or reviewing existing ones.

We advise scheme providers and can provide them with standard documentation for Small Self-Administered Schemes (“SSASs”) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (“SIPPs”). Our pensions practice advises members, scheme administrators and trustees on interpreting the legislation and case law.

Working with our commercial property and corporate colleagues we also regularly advise SSASs and SIPPs on whether proposed investments can be made under pensions and tax law.

Pensions is a recognised industry. It has many facets and participants. The industry continues to be challenged to generate returns that provide sustainable retirement incomes. Each firm involved in the industry contributes to that goal, and is a unique business dealing with deliverables and risk – including legal risk.
Vialex is uniquely placed to help pension providers, advisors, suppliers and outsourcers meet their strategic and business goals, and manage their risk.

Related News & Insights

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Title image – The Angle, Gettysburg (author’s own).

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What we did for...

It was important to us that our legal advisers were aligned to our business values, and we were impressed by the approach Vialex took to support our business by offering a ‘virtual’ in-house legal team who look after our day-to-day legal needs.

George Tait - Director and Company Secretary

We have worked with Vialex since 2012, following our buyout from a major UK foods group, when our fast evolving business required a different approach to meet our legal services needs in a cost effective way. At the time it was something of a leap of faith for Quorn Foods but we have been delighted with the service from Vialex, and the appetite they have shown to support us in any way they can.

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The Vialex Legal Counsel Service does what it says on the tin. We get a quality legal support service that responds to our needs, very often working to short timescales. The Vialex team has been particularly instrumental in assisting with our international contractual arrangements as we expand our reach into a number of new overseas markets.

Richard Miles - Chief Financial Officer
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