Kelly qualified as a solicitor in the pensions team in March 2009, having completed her training contract with the firm. Prior to this she had gained two and a half years’ experience in the pensions team as a paralegal and a trainee. Kelly is now an associate in the pensions team and she advises employers and trustees in the private sector on day-to-day pension matters in addition to benefit restructuring exercises, scheme mergers and scheme closures.
Kelly is also a key member of the specialist Public and Voluntary Sector Pensions Unit within the pensions team. As part of this she has specific experience of advising on the pension implications of the rearrangement of health care functions, public sector outsourcing and staff rationalisation programmes (including compromise agreements and redundancies) in relation to the NHS Pension Scheme, the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, the Local Government Pension Scheme and the Electricity Supply Pension Scheme. Kelly has also advised charities and registered providers on restructurings and employer debt issues.
Experience
Examples of experience include:
- Advising large manufacturing companies on the closure of their pension schemes to future defined benefit accrual and establishing defined contribution pension arrangements for future accrual.
- Advising trustees on the implications of group restructurings and proposals to modify any employer debts that have been triggered. This includes considering the impact on the support for the scheme and forms of mitigation, including putting in place PPF compliant parent company guarantees.
- Advising a number of academies on matters including the outsourcing of services and the contractor’s obligations under the relevant codes of practice on transfers in the public sector and has assisted with the documentation required to secure continued membership of the LGPS for transferring staff.
- Advising on the implications of redundancies and pension benefits under the TPS, LGPS and the Universities Superannuation Scheme and the obligations on clients in respect of funding these benefits.
- Advising on the mechanisms for access to the NHS Pension Scheme and assisting with the forms and the process for securing admission for different categories of staff.
- Updating pensions scheme documents including trust deed and rules.
