Neil is part of the three partner pensions team at Weightmans, working out of the London office.
Neil has over 25 years’ experience of advising clients on a wide range of pension issues relating to public sector and private sector pensions. He has particular expertise on the NHS Pension Scheme, Local Government Pension Scheme (including advice on LGPS pooling arrangements), and pension issues for charities (for example the interplay between charities law and pension law, governance issues and the legal obligations falling on charitable trustees). In the private sector he advises employers and trustees on complex pension matters including investment and funding issues. He is well versed on dealing with allocation of pension risk on outsourcing and TUPE transfers, from both an authority and contractor perspective.
Neil also helps employers with auto-enrolment, salary sacrifice and redundancy issues. He has advised on buyouts, derisking exercises and scheme wind ups. Neil also advises on complex pension disputes and Pension Ombudsman claims, including a £40million pension dispute relating to redundancy rights.
He has particular expertise on advising on corporate transactions, including working alongside US law firms on the UK pension aspects of multi-national deals. Neil is a full member of the Association of Pension Lawyers (APL) and a founding member of the APL public sector pensions sub-committee.
Neil’s public sector clients have ranged from central government departments (DWP, DHSC) and public bodies such as HMRC, to NHS Foundation Trusts, Police Authorities, and local government including the Local Government Association, and various County and Unitary Councils. His private sector clients have included large employers, charities, privatised utilities and financial services institutions.