Pensions Law Conference, London – Thursday 11th June 2026.

Join us, on 11th June 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 a morning of insightful pensions law talks on Thursday 11th June 2026, at The Lanesborough Hotel, London. The event will consist of a series of presentations and panels, from some of our leading area specialists, preceded by a wonderful ‘Lanesborough breakfast’ networking session.

Topics of discussion include:

• TPR and TPO – Some Insights and Trends
• Reflections on the Places for People Compromise
• Non-Pensions Cases for Pensions Lawyers
• Rectification v Corrective Construction

Agenda

8:15am – Breakfast
8:45am – Conference
11am – Close

Book Your Place

Date: Thursday 11th June 2026

Venue: The Lanesborough Hotel, Park Corner, Hyde, London SW1X 7TA

Time: 8:15am – 11:00am

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

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).

Nick was shortlisted for ‘Chancery Silk of the Year’ in the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2025. 

Andrew Spink KC

Andrew has been listed as a leading silk in pensions by Chambers & Partners (Band 1) and Legal 500 (Tier 1) ever since being appointed KC in 2003. Having appeared in many of the most significant pensions cases of the last two decades, Andrew remains one of the most prominent and sought-after pensions silks, whether it be in technical Part 8 work, regulatory work, or hard-fought Part 7 pensions litigation, professional negligence or advisory work, all of which are reflected in the cases in which he has been involved. These include IMG, IBM, Pilots, British Telecom, British Airways, Lehman, Honda, Wedgwood, Atos, PSGS Trust Corporation Limited v Aon, The Railways Pension Scheme and Places for People. 

Most recently, he has been instructed in BP, BBC (fetter preventing closure to future accrual) and The Pensions Trust (the longest submissions-only pensions trial in history, dealing with multiple issues of great financial significance within the TPR schemes themselves and of wider importance to the pensions industry, including Section 37 issues consequential on the Virgin Media decision). 

Richard Hitchcock KC

Richard has expertise in all areas of the law relating to trusts, occupational pension schemes, acting for scheme employers, trustees, members and professional advisers. He has appeared in pension cases at all appellate levels and is equally at home acting as advocate or adviser. In addition to ‘pure’ pensions, Richard is widely experienced in contractual disputes, especially contractual construction issues and discrimination issues in pension schemes, and private trust issues.  His notable cases include Avon plc v. Pinnock and ors; Avon plc v Baker McKenzie and DLA and Motor Insurers Pension Scheme. He is recommended in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 for his pensions expertise. 

David E. Grant KC

David is described as “a real expert in the world of pensions litigation” by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 with wide domestic and foreign jurisdiction experience. He 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, the ground-breaking multi-derivative claim in McGaughey v University Superannuation Scheme Ltd [2023] EWCA Civ 873 and, most recently, the complicated compromise of Places for People Pension Trustee Ltd v Places for People Group Ltd [2025] EWHC 3371 (Ch). 

David is Secretary of the Pensions Litigation Court Users Committee and is former chairman of the Litigation Committee at the Association of Pensions Lawyers.

Lydia Seymour KC

Lydia has a specialist pensions practice spanning all aspects of pensions law in relation to both private trust and statutory schemes, and is also regularly instructed in cases raising issues of professional negligence by legal and actuarial advisers relating to pension schemes.  

This year’s legal directories describe her as a “real pensions specialist. Has an incredible intellect and is such an incisive thinker”.  She is also one of the leading practitioners at the London bar in the area of crossover between pensions and employment law, particularly cases involving discrimination in relation to pension schemes and TUPE issues. Lydia was appointed to King’s Counsel in 2026. 

Martina Murphy KC

Martina specialises in employment, group litigation, pensions and professional discipline. She is recognised for her “excellent advocacy” and as a “ highly effective cross-examiner”. She has particular cross-over expertise in employment and pensions matters experience working for members, employers and local authorities. She is also sought after in the developing area of human rights law in relation to A14 and A1PI ECHR. She has particular cross-over expertise in employment and pensions matters. She is also sought after in the developing area of human rights law in relation to A14 and A1PI ECHR. She most recently acted in R (FBU) v HMT and the SoS for the Home Department [2024] ICR 922 concerning pension and discrimination law challenges relating to the Public Service Pensions Act 2013.

Philip Stear

Philip 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.  

He has long experience in relation to the law and practice of the Pensions Regulator (“TPR”). He is regularly instructed to advise in relation to questions of pensions-related taxation, including in relation to SSASs and SIPPs, being one of relatively few pensions barristers entirely comfortable in this area. 

Naomi Ling

Naomi has over twenty years’ experience as an advocate and is sought after as a specialist in both employment law and pensions law and in particular the area of cross-over between the two. In the High Court she is instructed on black letter pensions trusts issues, and other commercial matters in the pensions and employment spheres including liability for TUPE issues and employment related entitlements.  She has a particular interest in statutory pension schemes and employee entitlements and is also experienced in trust based part 8 claims, claims for rectification and professional negligence.

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.

Nicholas Hill

Nick’s practice focuses on pensions and professional negligence. His cases frequently include cross over aspects of financial services and regulation. He has appeared in some of the most important cases of the last few years including (i) all of the Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Limited cases on equalising for the effect of unequal GMPs (e.g. [2020] EWHC 3135 (Ch); (ii) Mercer v Honda  [2022] 3197 (Ch)(the £50m professional negligence claim); and (iii) the Gleeds v Aon professional negligence proceedings.   He is ranked as a Leading Junior in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners, being described as being “second to none”.

Elizabeth Grace

Elizabeth has a busy pensions practice, and has been recognised in the directories as a Leading Junior. She regularly advises on occupational pension schemes in both the private and public sector, as well as employment cross-over issues. She has advised on a broad range of pension-related matters including negligent misstatement, rectification, construction and forfeiture clauses and is often instructed as sole counsel for individual pension complaints before the Pensions Ombudsman and in the County Court. Elizabeth has acted on behalf of trustees, scheme administrators and members on variety of issues, ranging from the British Steel mis-selling scandal to the duties of scheme administrators in respect of pension sharing orders. 

Joshua Cainer

Joshua has a broad pensions practice covering public sector and private occupational pension schemes, including Pensions Ombudsman complaints, Part 8 and Part 7 pension claims. His complementary employment law practice enables him to advise on difficult issues involving both employment and pensions law, whilst his public law experience assists him in advising on public sector-related issues including judicial review claims and statutory appeals. He also has significant regulatory experience, having previously been seconded to the Pensions Regulator. He is a member of the Attorney General’s C Panel of Counsel and is ranked for both Pensions and Employment by Legal 500, where he has been described as “an indefatigable and committed barrister. He has a fantastic command of the detail and stops [at] nothing to master the most challenging aspects of his cases”. Joshua also serves on the APL Future Leaders in Pensions Sub-Committee and contributed to the 2023 update of Atkins Court Forms on Pensions. 

James Smith 

James has a wide-reaching commercial practice which includes pensions. He is currently undertaking a three-month secondment to a Jersey-based law firm, during which he will be acting for representative members in proceedings alleging breach of the implied duty of good faith by the sponsoring employer of a pension scheme. As sole counsel, he often advises scheme administrators and members on pensions-related matters. 

Nicky Carabott

Nikky has a broad practice across Chambers’ business practice area, with a particular focus on pensions, employment, regulatory and disciplinary, and commercial law. She recently completed a six-month part-time secondment with The Pensions Regulator. During her time there, Nikky regularly advised on various aspects of pensions law, with a focus on Master Trusts. She also drafted skeleton arguments in relation to attestation in pension scheme documents in Ballard v Buzzard [2024] EWHC 2765 (Ch), [2025] Pens LR 3 and, separately, in relation to section 57 of the Trustee Act 1925 in Pennon Pension Trustees Limited v Pennon Group Plc [2025] Pens LR 5.

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