Pensions Senior Associate/Legal Director

The role

Tenacious and driven, DLA Piper people translate legal complexities into commercial clarity: providing the right minds at the right time to help clients navigate both risk and opportunity. We have a dedicated team who understand the latest issues and work at the very heart of the Pensions world. 

As a full-service global law firm with lawyers in more than 40 countries, our client base, commercial awareness, and expertise distinguishes us from our competitors. They allow us to provide seamless advice across multiple jurisdictions and practice areas, where necessary combining pensions, tax, structured finance, litigation, restructuring, funds and international advice seamlessly. 

Employing more than 25 specialist pension lawyers across the UK, our team delivers pragmatic solutions to employers and trustees in managing the DB and DC schemes of some of the most successful international businesses.  We were delighted that our market-leading pensions practice received industry recognition when we were named Pensions Law Firm of the Year at the Pensions Age Awards 2024. We won this prestigious award ahead of a very strong shortlist of twelve other Legal 500 Tier 1 and Tier 2 firms. 

We are now keen to build on our success and have an important hire to make at a senior level into the UK Pensions team, which forms part of our Global Employment and Pensions Group.  This is a key appointment for the UK Pensions practice where you can bring your expertise and we will provide an excellent platform for success.  

The team provide commercial and client focused support and advice on all aspects of pensions provision including the creation, operation, regulation and restructuring of all types of pension funds in both the private and public sectors. 

The role will be based in our London office but with some travel to our other offices from time to time as you collaborate and service our wide client base.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As a key member of the Pensions team, you will advise on all aspects of pensions law, including corporate and bulk annuity transactions, reorganisations, benefit redesign and liability management projects, reviewing and updating scheme documentation and advising trustees and employers on their legislative and trust law duties. 

Candidates will have a good variety and stretch of Pensions work, that will include, but not be limited to, providing client focused support and advice on:

• Drafting and interpretation of trust deeds and rules and other scheme documents  
• Compliance with new legislation (e.g. abolition of contracting out, automatic enrolment, tax changes)   
• Benefit design issues, closure to accrual, transition from final salary to CARE or money purchase benefits  
• Day-to-day governance and compliance 
• Scheme funding, the use of contingent assets and asset backed funding structures 
• Scheme mergers and reconstructions; scheme wind ups
• Legal aspects of pension scheme investments
• Risk management, buy-ins, buy-outs and longevity hedging 
• Transactional support, including drafting and negotiating pension schedules and admission agreements, negotiating new Fair Deal provisions and advising on pensions risks on transactions  

Technical skills and duties 

• You will lead on transactions, matter practices and processes
• Have a reputation for excellence and specific expertise recognised internally and externally
• Identify new opportunities for instructions and can market to existing clients and new client targets 
• Demonstrate commercial judgment when accepting work from clients
• Ability to provide commercially sound fee estimates and cost updates to clients
• Have a commercial and client focused style to drafting

ABOUT YOU

We pride ourselves on having a collaborative environment and are looking for approachable but confident lawyers with strong potential. While we do not set upper or lower limits of PQE for any of our vacancies, candidates with at least 5-10 years’ PQE are likely to have the right level of knowledge and experience needed for this role. 

The successful candidate will be highly ambitious and enthusiastic, with a desire to progress their own career from the enviable platform that DLA Piper provides. They will ideally have a background in Pensions Law and possess excellent interpersonal skills and attention to detail, alongside a real focus on teamwork. The ideal candidate will:

• Be a qualified Solicitor or barrister, ideally qualified in England & Wales or a Commonwealth jurisdiction
• Have strong Pensions experience gained in a leading UK or international firm
• Have an excellent academic and work record 
• Have excellent skills in communication, client relations, team working and project management 
• Strive to deliver solutions of the highest quality, able to think strategically and creatively  
• Have the ability to interface at all levels and build strong relationships internally and externally
• Be able to lead, supervise and mentor more junior members of the Pensions team; and
• Recognise that business development is a key part of the role and have BD experience.  Establishing, developing and maintaining client relationships and winning work from new and existing clients will be expected.

This Role Profile is not designed to be exhaustive and can be varied as required to develop or fulfil this role.

ABOUT US

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers and business service professionals located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world. We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

OUR VALUES

In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive – we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
• Be Collaborative – we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
• Be Bold – we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
• Be Exceptional – we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do. We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work.

Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; that’s why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

HYBRID WORKING

We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That’s why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING

In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits and where relevant, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and work-related references.