Nick’s practice is made up of three elements: pensions law, professional negligence, and regulatory law. He is ranked as a Leading Junior in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.
The directories recommend Nick for his client care, for his advocacy, for developing new arguments, and for finding solutions; he is described as being “second to none”.
Nick’s clients include individuals, companies, partnerships, major English and American law firms, regulators (the SRA, FCA & TPR), insurance companies, benefits consultants, professional trustees, actuaries, various property entities, investment managers and advisers.
Nick is a leading pensions junior ranked in both Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. He is “right on top of the subject”, “finds solutions to problems”, “thinks of new arguments” and is “excellent with clients”.
In the last 18 months or so, Nick has been instructed:
He has experience of most of the major public sector schemes (first gained by virtue of his appointment to the Attorney General’s Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown). He has advised on inter alia the various armed forces pension schemes, various police pension schemes, firefighter schemes, and the teachers’ pension scheme.
Nick is a member of the Litigation Committee of the Association of Pension Lawyers (APL).
• Ballard v Buzzard [2024] EWHC 2765 (Ch), [2025] Pens. L.R. 3 (where Thompsell J said (in paragraph 76): “In concluding my judgment I should pay tribute to the way that this case has been conducted on both sides, and in particular by the Defendant, his solicitors and Mr Hill. The Defendant and his legal team have defended this claim in an entirely appropriate way, taking points that had a real prospect of success, whilst avoiding unnecessary cost and delay by accepting late amendments to the Claimants’ case where it was obvious that the Claimants would succeed on these points but where a more aggressive litigant might have objected for the sake of it. This approach was entirely appropriate, and was in the interest of the Defendant, and those whom the Defendant represents.”)
• Brass Trustees Ltd v (1) Goldstone (2) The Board of the PPF [2023] EWHC 1978 (Ch). An approval claim (Public Trustee v Cooper) where Nick acted for the Representative Beneficiary.
• Honda Group-UK Pension Scheme Trustee Ltd v Mercer Ltd [2022] EWHC 3197 (Ch). A strike out application raising limitation issues in a pensions professional negligence dispute.
• Gleeds v Aon and ors, acting for the defendant solicitors in a significant professional negligence matter.
• Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Limited v Lloyds Bank Plc [2020] EWHC 3135 (Ch). This 2020 Judgment addressed the obligation to equalise for the effect of unequal GMPs on transfers out. Nick also acted for the Representative Beneficiaries in the major 2018 Judgment on GMP equalisation ([2018] EWHC 2839 (Ch) and [2018] EWHC 3343 (Ch)].
• Ove Arup & Partners International Ltd v Trustees of the Arup UK Pension Scheme [2020] EWHC 1064 (Ch). A case concerning the “functional replacement” of the RPI.
• PS Independent Trustees Ltd v China Shipping (UK) Agency Co Ltd [2019] EWHC 1222 (Ch). Acting for the claimant trustees in a case concerning the correct application and interpretation of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Employer Debt) Regulations 2005 and the Pension Protection Fund (Multi-employer Schemes) Modification) Regulations 2005.
• ColArt International Holdings Limited v (a) ColArt Pension Trustees Limited (2) Mark Coulson [2019] EWHC 3081 (Ch). Rectification proceedings representing the claimant company.
• Phillips Pension Trustees Ltd v Aon Hewitt Ltd and ors [2015] EWHC 1768 (Ch). A massive professional negligence claim concerning the liability for increased scheme liabilities caused by allegedly negligent technical financial services advice.
In the field of professional negligence Nick is described as a “fantastic advocate”, who is “excellent with clients” and as having “a great eye for detail”.
Nick frequently acts for clients who are solicitors, actuaries, pension consultants, benefits consultants and investment advisers.
Much of his work in this field is confidential however some notable cases are listed below.
• Complex limitation argument(s) (on both s14A and s14B of the Limitation Act 1980), deployed in a summary judgment application by Nick’s defendant client. The claim was discontinued by the claimants upon receipt of the application.
• Fiercely fought claims for damages for professional negligence by the employer and trustees of a large UK pension scheme against the scheme’s former investment strategy consultants and one of its fund managers, arising out of the scheme’s investment in 2007 of £2 billion of trust assets in credit default swaps and £500 million in US sub-prime mortgage backed assets.
• The Gleeds v Aon and ors litigation, acting for defendant solicitors.
• Acting for solicitor defendants in a case where the claimants were persuaded to pursue Part 8 rectification proceedings instead of continuing with the (issued) Part 7 claim.
• Proceedings against two financial advisers in connection with tax advice.
Nick’s regulatory experience was first gained on secondment for more than nine months in the General Counsel’s Division at (what was then) the Financial Services Authority (now FCA). Nick advised on a broad range of matters, including the first ever use of the SRR and BIP under the Banking Act 2009 (Re Southsea Mortgage and Investment Company). He had regular engagement with FSA Enforcement and the SFO and Police.
He continues to be instructed by the FCA. Recent work for the FCA has included advice on perimeter matters, information gateways, and work on ISAs and Child Trust Funds.
In a pensions context, Nick has been instructed to act for and (more recently) against The Pensions Regulator and has recently been instructed off-panel to advise the DWP and HMT on various cross-over financial services / pensions issues.
Nick is regularly instructed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and increasingly instructed to advise individuals and firms in respect of SRA investigations and/or compliance issues more generally.
Recent instructions include advice arising out of lengthy complex multi-party litigation across numerous jurisdictions, advice on sensitive medical matters, and advice on a range of procedural issues.
Nick has a keen interest in Court of Protection and Private Client litigation and is keen to develop his practice in this area. This arises from his extensive trust experience (through his leading pensions practice), advocacy experience gained in the Mental Health Tribunal, and his professional negligence work (experience includes numerous trust disputes, acting for the executors of a high net worth estate and complex off-shore trust disputes). Nick brings over ten years of litigation and advocacy experience to this part of his practice.
Nicholas Hill is regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and holds a current practising certificate. If you are not satisfied with the service provided, please click here.
To find out more, contact Matt Sale on +44 (0)20 7427 4910 or Andy Hunter on +44 (0)20 7427 4905 for a confidential discussion.
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