Associate/Senior Associate - Pensions

We have an excellent opportunity for an Associate or Senior Associate to join TLT’s growing national Pensions team.  

This role is to be based in either our Birmingham, Bristol or Manchester office We operate national service lines and our client base is not limited by location, we work entirely on the basis that the best-placed individual supports the client.   

This role is offered with TLT’s progressive fully flexible working approach ‘TLT World’ and can be either full or part-time. TLT World empowers our people to work in a place and at a time that meets their needs, those of their clients and the wider team and firm. Part of this agile approach is a focus on hybrid working and supporting the wellbeing and work-life balance of our people.  

Your Role  

Our national Pensions team has a broad portfolio of clients including FTSE companies, multinationals, UK corporates, central government, pension providers, benefit consultancies and trustees. As a key addition to our growing team, you can expect to:  

• Work on a varied caseload, spanning a broad range of pension matters  
• Advise on all aspects of pension schemes, including employer and trustee advisory work, buy-ins and buy-outs, master trusts, SIPP and SSAS, with a focus on multinational clients and central government 
• 90% of the work is stand-alone pensions advice and 10% is working in partnership with other TLT national teams including litigation, financial services regulatory, corporate, employment, commercial, insolvency and social housing  
• Develop your expertise in a wide range of pensions law, including in the specialist and growth areas of public sector pensions and SIPP and SSAS  
• Work directly with trustees, employers, and benefit consultancies, both nationally and internationally to give pensions advice and establish your own relationship with clients  
• Collaborate closely with our Partners and Senior Knowledge Lawyer, assisting and working alongside them with complex work and long-term projects  
• Support junior members within the team, assisting their development and career growth  
• Take an active involvement in business development initiatives  

Your Skills & Experience  

You will be/have:  

• A Qualified Solicitor (SRA or Law Society Registered), ideally between 2-5 years PQE or equivalent, with previous legal experience in a pensions-focused role 
• Experience in SIPP or SSAS work would be highly desirable, though is not essential 
• A forward thinker, with excellent analytical, communication and organisational skills, you will be self-motivated with the ability to manage workloads and deadlines  
• An ability to give succinct legal advice in an efficient manner whilst understanding and anticipating the commercial needs and objectives of the client  
• Commercially aware with enthusiasm for business development, and an appetite for keeping up to date with the latest developments in pensions law and regulation 

Your Team  

Formed in 2001, the TLT national Pensions Team has five senior team members recognised in Chambers & Partners and is ranked in Bristol, Manchester and London in Legal 500. The team is on a growth trajectory – recent joiners include Clare Grice, Partner, who joined together with Fiona Goodman from Mills & Reeve and newly qualified lawyers from Eversheds Sutherland and home grown at TLT. 

Sasha Butterworth, TLT’s Senior Partner, leads the team together with 3 other Partners, also working closely with the Pensions Litigation Team. The team is described in Chambers UK by an impressed source as “The best pension lawyers I have ever dealt with: they are responsive and practical.”  

We were shortlisted in the ‘Pension Lawyers of the Year’ category at the prestigious UK Pensions Awards 2024, recognising our significant achievements and our investment in innovation through legal tech to make pensions advice more accessible to clients, including our Pensions Governance Hub online solution.   

As evidenced by our impressive track record of promotions in our team, we place a high value on training and development.  We pride ourselves on having an open and supportive culture to help team members thrive and achieve their potential.  

Our key clients include Travelers, Sainsbury’s, Fujitsu Trustee, Arkema Bostik Trustee, the Metropolitan Police Agency, Crown Commercial Services.   

About TLT 

Fast paced, fast growing and forward thinking, TLT is the law firm that helps clients stay one step ahead, and we do the same for our people. 

We work with high profile clients in innovative sectors. With local, national and international reach, we have over 1,800 people in offices across the UK and a network of partner firms across Europe, India and the US. TLT was named Law Firm of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2023. This marks the third year in a row the firm has taken away this accolade in industry awards - having previously been named Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards in 2021 and the British Legal Awards in 2022. 

Our purpose is to protect, prepare and progress our clients for what comes next and it’s essential that we do the same for our people, our planet and our communities too. In our open and collaborative culture, we encourage everyone to be their whole self, to have a voice and to contribute. 

Our Benefits 

We value our employees highly and we want you to feel valued. You’ll receive a competitive salary with an annual pay review. You will also have access to an extensive range of benefits via our flexible benefits scheme including 25 days holiday (which will increase to 30 days based upon length of service) and private medical insurance.  

At TLT we have a progressive fully flexible working approach. We empower our people to work in a place and at a time that meets their needs, those of their clients and of the wider team and firm. Part of this agile approach is a focus on hybrid working and supporting the work/life balance of our people. We’re happy to talk about how flexible working can work for you and this role.  

TLT is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment and encourages applications from all suitably qualified people, regardless of disability, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by the laws in the locations in which we operate. 

We welcome applications from people with disabilities and are committed to providing reasonable adjustments, where necessary, to make interviews and jobs more accessible. Should you have any difficulty during the recruitment process, require any reasonable adjustments or an application to Access to work please contact the recruitment team on Recruitment.Operations@TLT.com