Event: Pensions Law Conference, Manchester – Tuesday 12th May 2026.

Join us, on the 12th May 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 12th May 2026, at the Edwardian Hotel Manchester. The event will consist of a series of presentations and panels, from some of our leading area specialists, followed by a fantastic opportunity for networking at Albert Schloss.

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
• Contract v Trust
• Silks Fireside Chat

Agenda

1:30pm – Registration
2:00pm to 5:30pm – Pensions law talks
5:45pm – Networking; food and drinks at Albert Schloss

Book Your Place

Date: Tuesday 12th May 2026

Venue: Free Trade Hall, Peter St, Manchester M2 5GP, United Kingdom

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 conference of this series will be taking place 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.

Andrew Spink KC

Andrew Spink KC is a highly respected advocate with 39 years’ experience at the Bar and 22 years as a successful silk (QC/KC). He is a recent Chair of the Commercial Bar Association of England and Wales, was one of the Heads of Outer Temple Chambers for 9 years until October 2022 and is a part-time judge who has sat for many years as a Deputy High Court Judge in the King’s Bench and Chancery Divisions of the English High Court and is a Justice of the Astana International Financial Centre Court in Kazakhstan. He also sits as an arbitrator in complex international commercial disputes.

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.

Charlotte Elves

Charlotte is a sought-after Junior. Her broad academic background enables an agile response to complex legal issues, especially those cutting across multiple areas of law. She practices predominantly in contempt, pensions, discrimination, commercial litigation and professional discipline, and is often instructed in high-profile cases, or those in the media spotlight where her strategic approach, composed manner and careful judgment are especially valued. Recent highlights include: Buzzard-Quashie v Constable of Northamptonshire Police [2025] EWCA Civ 1372 and EWCA Civ 502; Munícipio de Mariana & Ors v BHP Group (UK) Ltd [2025] 1 WLR 5297; and Peggie v Fife Health Board & Beth Upton.

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.

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 1 May, 2026