Sarah is an Associate in our Pensions team. She advises a range of trustee and corporate clients, particularly in the financial services, education and manufacturing sectors.

She advises on a wide variety of pensions legal issues, including DB governance, member complaints, de-risking and dealing with scheme surpluses. She has experience of drafting and negotiating key pensions documents, including scheme rule amendments, member communications, contingent asset agreements and contracts with advisers.

Sarah is a longstanding committee member of the Scottish Financial Enterprise Young Professionals Network.

Areas of practice include:

Sector experience includes:

Admitted

2021: Scotland

Relevant experience

Advising the trustee of a large financial services scheme on an agreement with the scheme employer to utilise part of the scheme’s surplus to fund the cost of providing defined contribution benefits.
Advising trustee clients on de-risking transactions of various sizes, including preparing and reviewing complex benefit specifications, negotiating requested contractual terms and buy-in contracts, and supporting trustees on issues arising out of data cleanse exercises.
Advising the trustee of a large hybrid scheme on a landmark Petition for Directions to the Inner House of the Court of Session in relation to the treatment of surplus scheme assets.
Advising trustee clients on a range of issues relating to scheme documentation, including drafting complex rule re-writes and amendments, interpretation and contractual arrangements with a range of service providers.
Supporting trustees on the legal aspects of scheme funding and the valuation process.
Advising trustees in relation to the implementation of contingent security, including use of PPF contingent assets, bespoke guarantees and escrow arrangements.
Advising a multi-scheme employer in relation to the merger of five separate defined benefit pension schemes into a single, newly sectionalised scheme.