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Senior Partner Charles Martin commented -

'Understanding and managing pensions risk is an increasingly important issue for business, and the regulatory environment becomes ever more complex.  Pensions issues are often central to M&A transactions.  Companies and trustees are looking for experience and judgement as well as technical skills in navigating these difficult waters.  We are delighted to be bringing a lawyer of Camilla's talent into the partnership.'

Macfarlanes' pensions team advises companies and trustees on all aspects of pensions work.  The firm appeared in one of last year's leading cases involving the status of IMG's pension plan, and is currently advising on one of the first funding disputes involving possible use of the Pensions Regulator's determination powers.

Camilla Barry joined Macfarlanes in May 2007.  She has specialised in pensions since 1997, advising scheme trustees, corporate groups and private equity houses on both contentious and non-contentious issues, and on the pensions aspects of corporate transactions including public sector and cross-border issues.

Camilla has particular experience of advising on liability management, pension buy-outs and other risk transfers.

Recent work includes advising:

• the trustee of a hybrid pension scheme on negotiating scheme funding, including agreeing security over real estate assets during Chapter 11 proceedings relating to the employer's parent, advising on the termination of benefit accrual and a liability management exercise, and later responding to the employer's failure to make payments under the schedule of contributions and agreeing a further recovery plan;

• the US-based global engineering company, on restructuring the liabilities of its UK final salary pension scheme as part of its disposal of a trans-national business, including a de-merger, a reallocation of the section 75 liabilities, clearance from the Pensions Regulator and agreement over associated funding and contingent assets;

• a multi-national power company on the pensions aspects of a cross-border reorganisation including the establishment of a cross-border pension scheme.

Camilla is a member of the Association of Pension Lawyers and the International Pension and Employee Benefit Lawyers' Association.  She has spoken at APL events on Managing pension liabilities, European legal developments and The Pensions Regulator's powers and practice on clearance and scheme funding. She addressed IPEBLA's biennial conference in 2009 on The UK Pensions Regulator's intervention in corporate deals.  She is also a contributing author to Pension scheme deficits published by Globe Law and Business.