Shoosmiths LLP

Tom has been practising pensions law since 2016 and has extensive experience on a wide range of pension scheme issues. Tom regularly assists with corporate and commercial transactions as a pensions specialist and has worked as part of the client team for schemes with asset values ranging from £10 million to over £4 billion.

Tom has wide experience addressing all elements of schemes' day to day requirements and one-off project work, from scheme combination and consolidation to GMP conversion and equalisation; from specific member queries and interpretation/amendment of scheme rules to large-scale bulk transfers of members and compliance with consultation requirements. He also has experience of public-sector pension schemes, liability management exercises, consultation and benefit introduction/removal/change.

Tom is a calm, thoughtful member of the team who identifies the commercial needs of our clients to deliver excellent service in the way our clients need and according to their time-frames. He enjoys cutting through the complexity of pensions legislation, regulation and guidance to provide unambiguous and accessible commercial solutions.

Work undertaken by Tom includes:

• complete review and consolidation of two large private and public-sector pension schemes;
• advice to employers and trustees in relation to sectionalisation and access to scheme funding;
• advice to local authorities in relation to admission agreements, terms of outsourcing contracts and exit-debt considerations in the LGPS and other public-sector schemes;
• pensions specialist advice for corporate support where pensions liabilities range from £100 million to £1 billion;
• Pension Protection Fund advice in relation to levy requirements, contingent assets and PPF recertification;
• advice in relation to GMP equalisation and conversion pre and post-Lloyds Bank case;
• extensive experience in relation to liability management exercises, assisting clients through PIE, FRO and ETV exercises from inception to consultation for both employers and members;
• advising the trustees of legacy pension schemes on winding up requirements and TPR involvement/exercise of powers; and
• advice in relation to the changes to same-sex married couples introduced by Walker v Innospec;
• Considering changes to scheme benefits and structure, closure to future accrual, introduction of new benefits and pensions flexibilities and other legislative requirements.