Sinead O'Donoghue Senior Associate

Sinead is a senior associate in the Burges Salmon Pensions team and advises trustee and employer clients on a broad range of pension law issues, in relation to both defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes.

Sinead is a member of the Association of Pensions Lawyers.

• Advising the trustee of the scheme of a large manufacturing company in relation to a number of issues, including equalisation, scheme governance, rectifying past errors in documentation and ongoing day-to-day advice; including working closely with the trustees’ other advisers.
• Advising the trustees of a mid-size scheme on a concurrent buy-in project and transfer of DC benefits to a master trust, leading to winding-up.
• Advising a Northern Irish public sector scheme in relation to injury to feelings claims relating to McCloud.
• Advising a number of trustee clients on buy-in/out projects, including: preparing benefit specifications following a review of the scheme rules; considering trustee discretions; advising trustees on the process, their responsibilities and powers; and reviewing and negotiating insurer’s contract terms.
• Advising an employer client on, and successfully appealing, a number of penalty notices from the Pensions Regulator in connection with auto-enrolment duties.
• Advising a large company in relation to negotiating funding support for the trustees in connection with a scheme buying-in.
• Advising trustee and employer clients in relation to closing DB schemes to future accrual.
• Advising trustee and employer clients in relation to managing potential surplus.
• Advising a number of clients in relation to equalisation of Normal Retirement Dates.
• Advising trustee clients in relation to GMP equalisation.
• Advising a small company in relation to a potential section 75 debt in connection with a large multi-employer scheme.
• Advising on the pensions aspects of numerous corporate transactions.