Justin McGilloway

Justin is the head of pensions and employee benefits. He advises a wide range of clients, including employers (UK and international), trustees (including offshore), pension product providers and individuals, on all aspects of pensions law. This includes the intricacies of pension scheme documentation, corporate transactions, Pension Regulator clearance, reorganising schemes, Pension Protection Fund negotiations, HMRC investigations, funding matters, closing schemes to future accrual, derisking (including buy-in and buy-out) and winding-up schemes.

He also deals with pension scheme disputes, with a particular interest in Pension Ombudsman complaints.

Justin also specialises in employee benefits work and regularly advises on the structuring, implementation, maintenance and vesting of management and employee incentive arrangements to both UK and overseas companies. He has also had extensive involvement in unwinding historic employee benefit trust (EBT) arrangements and negotiating settlements with HMRC.

Clients appreciate Justin’s ability to cut through the complexities and technical jargon of pensions law. His advice is clear and understandable so that clients can make informed decisions. Pensions law is fundamentally concerned with peoples’ livelihoods, and he never loses sight of what’s important to members. He ensures that this ‘mantra’ features highly in solving problems and equipping clients with all they need to take the best path.

• Advising the UK pension trustees of a major European airline on the implications of US Chapter 11 restructuring proceedings in relation to the ultimate parent of the principal employer.
• Advising the trustee boards of several UK occupational pension schemes sponsored by a NYSE-listed conglomerate on a major restructuring project.
• Acting for a major international online gaming company on the pension aspects of its first UK corporate acquisition, including clearance from the Pensions Regulator and Pension Protection Fund negotiation.
• Acting for a private individual in a groundbreaking Pension Ombudsman case regarding significant pension overpayments over a number of years. Successfully arguing the client’s right to retain the overpayments and recovering full costs from the respondent insurance company.
• Advising the UK pension trustees of a major French investment bank on a £300m buy-in with Just Retirement.
• Advising a US private equity house on the international pension aspects on the acquisition of an automotive parts manufacturer across 15 jurisdictions.

• Justin is a regular contributor to the Pension and Employee Benefits team’s e-bulletins, speaks at seminars and has also written articles for Pensions World magazine, The Sunday Telegraph magazine, The Guardian and various pension industry journals.

Justin is a member of the Association of Pension Lawyers, The Employee Share Ownership Centre and the QCA’s Share Schemes Expert Group.