Oliver Hilton

This Practice Note focuses on rectification. It explains why rectification may be required in the context of pension documentation (eg trust deed and rules) and the circumstances in which the courts will order rectification. It also considers the evidence the courts will look for before rectifying a document, the procedure for making a rectification claim, the identity of the potential parties to the action and the merits of making such a claim.

This Practice Note looks at the issues relevant (including procedural and timing issues) when appealing a determination of the Pensions Ombudsman. As appeals can only be made on a point of law, it compares a point of law from a point of fact and also considers the potential for judicial review.

This Practice Note sets out the general principles relating to costs as they apply to pension scheme dispute resolution by the courts, the Pensions Regulator and the Pensions Ombudsman. In particular, in relation to the courts, it looks at trustees’ right of indemnity, the treatment of costs in each type of litigation in which trustees might become involved, costs protection for trustees, Beddoes applications and prospective costs orders. This Practice Note also covers the treatment of costs by the Pensions Regulator and the Pensions Ombudsman.

This Practice Note covers the key legal principles that trustees must follow when exercising a trustee discretion under the rules of a pension scheme and how they can avoid potential challenges to the exercise of their discretionary powers. In particular, the Practice Note looks at the considerations for trustees when dealing with an application for early retirement on the grounds of ill-health or when deciding how to exercise their discretion to pay lump sum death benefits.

This Practice Note covers what scope there is for making a complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman (PO), including the persons eligible to apply to the Pensions Ombudsman to make a complaint, the type of matter that can be referred to the Pensions Ombudsman, steps that must be taken before a complainant can apply to the Pensions Ombudsman (ie going through a scheme’s internal dispute resolution procedure), the time limits to complain. It also looks at the steps involved in dealing with the complaint (ie the complainant’s application, the respondent’s response, the investigation and the determination), enforcement issues and appeals.

This Practice Note considers the issues relevant when pension scheme trustees make professional negligence claims against their advisers, including duty of care issues, limitation periods, Beddoe applications and cost considerations. This Practice Note also looks at common claims made by trustees against their advisers, including in relation to payment errors, failed equalisation and drafting mistakes in scheme documentation.

This Practice Note focuses on privilege, ie the ability to withhold documents from someone’s inspection, in the context of pensions. It distinguishes between legal advice privilege and litigation privilege and sets out the requirements for each and when privilege is lost. Finally, this Practice Note considers the scope of privilege vis-à-vis the courts, the Pensions Ombudsman and the Pensions Regulator.