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Pensions

Key Contacts

Ian Devlin

Ian Devlin

Partner

Ciara McLoughlin

Ciara McLoughlin

Consultant

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Our experience includes advising:

  • We advised the trustees of the John Player Ireland and Imperial Tobacco Mullingar pension schemes on two significant bulk annuity buy-out transactions.
  • We are the standing legal advisers to Aviva’s Irish staff pension funds providing legal support on all issues relating to the operation of its defined benefit and defined contribution pension funds.
  • We advised IKEA on various legal issues related to its Irish pension arrangements, including scheme amendments and IORP II related issues.
  • We are standing legal adviser to the Guinness Ireland Group Pension Scheme, one of the largest pension funds in the State, and provide advice on governance, funding and investment matters and all aspects of regulatory compliance.
  • We advise the trustees of Marks & Spencer’s defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes on all aspects of the operation and running of those schemes.
  • We advised Certa Ireland on the restructuring of various pension arrangements within the wider Certa Ireland group, including advising on the transition to a master trust arrangement.
  • We acted for Brennan Insurances in advising on various issues related to the restructuring of its defined benefit pension scheme.
  • We act as standing leading adviser on Irish pensions law matters for a number of large cross-border pension schemes in the pharma sector domiciled in Belgium.
  • We have advised various master trust trustees on issues related to contractual arrangements with their founders.

We provide both general and project specific pensions advice, including advice related to:

  • scheme restructurings, wind ups, mergers and bulk annuity buy-out transactions;
  • all aspects of scheme governance issues related to IORP II;
  • master trust transition from negotiating contractual terms with master trust providers to dealing with the wind up and transition process;
  • SRD II, ESG and SFDR and drafting related updates to scheme documents;
  • PRSA product design and related Pensions Authority approval procedures;
  • trustee support in contracting with service providers, including investment managers, custodians and administrators;
  • scheme amendments from day-to-day benefit changes to section 50 benefit reductions; and
  • pensions disputes and complaints, including complaints before the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, Pensions Authority investigations and pensions litigation before the Courts.
Employment & Benefits
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Insurance & Reinsurance
Financial Services
ESG & Sustainability

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