Elena O’Leary
Senior Associate
About
Elena is a senior associate in Burges Salmon’s Pensions and Lifetime Savings team with over ten years experience in the pensions industry. She advises pension scheme trustees and companies on a broad range of pensions legal issues. Elena has particular experience in advising clients in the higher education sector and schemes with complex legal and benefit issues. She is pragmatic and solution focused and enjoys working collaboratively with clients and other advisers to achieve her client’s objectives.
She is a full member of the Association of Pensions Lawyers and a member of the Pensions Management Institute. She also sits on the Society of Pension Professionals’ Defined Contribution Committee and the Pensions Management Institute’s South West Committee.
Experience
- Trustee of a £1+billion scheme: Advising on a range of projects including liability management exercises and a scheme merger and advising on administrative issues such as scheme governance, member complaints, trustee discretions and protections.
- Trustee of a pension scheme for a ‘household name’: Advising on a complex matter regarding the implications of widespread execution and benefit issues and the remedial action required.
- Trustees of various University pension schemes: Advising on issues including benefit changes, deeds of amendment, queries regarding benefits, compliance and governance matters, member communications and trustee training.
- Employer of a £1+billion scheme: Advising on day-to-day legal matters, such as the interpretation of scheme documentation and legislative and regulatory changes, and on a range of projects relating to the employer’s scheme.
- Trustees of a scheme involved with a moral hazard investigation: Advising on a moral hazard investigation involving a financial support direction being sought against the relevant targets.
Credentials
- Admitted as a solicitor: England & Wales (2016)