Event: Pensions Law Conference, Bristol – Tuesday 21st April 2026.

Join us, on the 21st April 2026, to hear from our leading pensions law barristers at our fourth annual pensions conference series.

You are invited to join the Outer Temple Chambers’ pensions team for an afternoon of insightful pensions law talks on Tuesday 21^st April 2026, at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel. The event will consist of a series of presentations, from some of our leading area specialists, followed by drinks and a fantastic opportunity for networking at the Ritorno Lounge.

Topics of discussion include:

• Issuing and conducting pensions cases: some practical points on Part 8 claims, Part 7 claims and the crossover between the two
• Reflections on the Places for People Compromise
• The TPR Determinations Panel: current trends
• Rectification v Corrective Construction
• Promises, promises: when does contract trump trust?
• Silks Fireside Chat

Agenda

1:30pm – Registration
2:00pm to 5:30pm – Pensions law talks
5:45pm – Networking; drinks at Ritorno Lounge

Book Your Place

Date: Tuesday 21^st April 2026

Venue: Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TA

Time: 1:30pm – 5:30pm, followed by a drinks reception

Places are limited and booking is required. Please register here, selecting the relevant date for this conference.

The next conferences of this series will be taking place in Manchester on Tuesday 12th May 2026 and in London on Thursday 11th June 2026 . Details will be shared soon.

Speaker Bios

Nicolas Stallworthy KC

Nicolas is widely acknowledged as one of the stars of the pensions bar (long top-ranked by both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500).  He has appeared in pension cases at all appellate levels, including three in the Supreme Court.  Nick was twice elected to the Main Committee of the Association of Pensions Lawyers. In 2021, Nugee J’s judgment re: the Royal Bank of Scotland Scheme described Nick as “to my personal knowledge, an eminent practitioner in the field of pensions law”.  Nick appeared in the most significant pensions case of 2024 (Virgin Media in the Court of Appeal) and in the most significant pensions case of 2025 (The Pensions Trust).

Lydia Seymour KC

Lydia acts and advises in a wide range of contentious and non-contentious pensions work including ‘black letter’ pensions law; issues relating to statutory schemes and claims at the interface of pensions and employment law. She has acted and advised in numerous High Court claims raising issues of scheme amendment (including estoppel and misrepresentation); de-risking (including Courage fetter issues and the pensions / employment crossover implications); equalisation and rectification. She has advised the Pensions Regulator on issues including scheme closures, section 75 debts, clearance statements and auto-enrolment.

Richard Hitchcock KC

Richard has expertise in all areas of the law relating to trusts occupational pension schemes, acting for trustees, employers, beneficiaries / members, trade unions and third parties to the trust (principally actuaries, auditors, accountants, brokers, scheme consultants and solicitors). His notable cases include Avon plc v. Pinnock and ors; Avon plc v Baker McKenzie and DLA and Motor Insurers Pension Scheme. Richard was named a Leading Silk in Legal 500, 2026.

David E. Grant KC

David has been involved in some of the most high-profile pensions cases in recent years including appearing before the Grand Chamber of the ECJ in Safeway Ltd v Newton & Anor [2020] Pens.L.R. 4 as to whether a scheme can be retrospectively levelled down. He acts for employers, trustees, members, professional advisors and public bodies. David is Secretary of the Pensions Litigation Court Users Committee and is former chairman of the Litigation Committee at the Association of Pensions Lawyers.

Elizabeth Grace

Elizabeth has a busy pensions practice, and has been recognised in the Legal 500 as a Leading Junior. She regularly advises on occupational pension schemes in both the private and public sector, and has experience of advising on a range of pensions-related matters including pensions misselling, Courage fetters, rectification, recoupment, and forfeiture. She has particular expertise in areas of cross-over between employment, discrimination, and pensions, and has also advised on novel pension claims involving HRA elements.

Joshua Cainer

Joshua has a broad pensions practice covering public sector and private occupational pension schemes, including complaints to the Pensions Ombudsman and Part 8 pension claims. His complementary employment practice also enables him to advise on difficult issues which cross-over between employment and pensions law, including claims for pensions losses and pensions issues arising in discrimination claims and TUPE transfers. Joshua is an Associate Member and member of the Future Leaders in Pensions Sub-Committee at the Association of Pension Lawyers (APL).

Saul Margo

Saul specialises in pensions and employment, as well as professional negligence claims relating to pension schemes. His pensions practice encompasses both pure pensions litigation and advisory work with his litigation experience including Part 8, professional negligence and rectification claims. Saul is involved in cases concerning some of the largest pensions schemes in the UK including BBC Scheme, the BP Scheme and the schemes in Re Project Swan and Re Project Texas. He is also instructed in appeals against decisions of the Pensions Ombudsman, test litigation for  tPR concerning auto-enrolment obligations and some of the highest profile public sector cases of recent years.

Gus Baker

Gus is an experienced pensions barrister who is frequently instructed in significant claims of high value and sensitivity. Gus acts for trustees, employers, defendant solicitors and administrators in part 8 claims, professional negligence proceedings, and applications for rectification. Recent cases include acting for a representative beneficiary in a large Part 8 Claim, advising (unled) employers of a scheme in relation to various mistakes in historic deeds and various work bringing and resisting claims on behalf of scheme members in connection with negligent mistakes and representations made by employers and administrators.

Philip Stear

Philip has a broad (advisory and contentious) Chancery practice with a particular focus on private trusts and occupational pension schemes. He is an acknowledged expert in relation to technical pensions law and regulatory practice, and combines this with long practical experience of occupational pension schemes and the practical challenges they face in relation to governance and trusteeship, benefit design and modification, funding and security and member communications and disputes.

Find out more

To find out more about our Pensions Law team, contact Matt Sale on +44 (0)20 7427 4910 for a confidential discussion.

Events, News 2 Apr, 2026