14 May 2012
Two nationally-renowned teams at Burges Salmon are celebrating being shortlisted in two separate high profile UK award schemes this month.
25 April 2012
The Supreme Court today handed down its judgment in two long-awaited age discrimination cases – Seldon v Clarkson, Wright and Jakes and Homer v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police.
04 April 2012
Leading UK law firm Burges Salmon has made up seven new partners from within the firm, as it continues to go from strength to strength in both UK and international markets.
29 March 2012
In some cases, "fixed protection" against the reduction in lifetime allowance on 6 April 2012 can be lost if life cover continues. Employers should consider whether they need to act before 6 April to preserve the position of any member of staff who plans to rely on fixed protection.
26 March 2012
Automatic Enrolment begins on 1 October 2012 and will affect all employers by 1 April 2017. Employers have each been assigned a ‘staging date’ during this period based on their PAYE scheme size as at 1 April 2012 from which they will need to comply with the new duties.
19 July 2011
The trustees of the Great Lakes UK Limited Pension Plan have agreed a comprehensive funding package with the scheme's sponsoring group. As a result, the Pensions Regulator has discontinued proceedings for financial support directions (FSDs).
17 June 2011
The government has confirmed that it is not going to legislate to help pension schemes switch to CPI for indexation. It is going ahead with its original plans to replace RPI with only limited changes.
18 May 2011
Burges Salmon has scooped a place on the shortlist for three major award schemes in just a matter of weeks.
07 March 2011
The Government yesterday commenced a public consultation on the future of "Fair Deal".
02 March 2011
Insurers must stop pricing their products according to the sex of the purchaser. This includes pension products.
17 February 2011
The Burges Salmon pensions team has been shortlisted in the Pensions Lawyers of the Year category at the Professional Pensions Awards 2011 - arguably the most respected awards ceremony in the pensions calendar.
04 February 2011
The pensions practice at Bristol based law firm Burges Salmon has been ranked as 4th in the country for the number of clients it serves.
08 December 2010
The government is not proposing to give schemes any statutory help to adopt CPI. Whether it applies will largely depend on the wording of scheme rules.
01 December 2010
Refund power: requirement for trustees' resolution
29 November 2010
From 1 December pension schemes can send members information about their benefits by email and can simplify illustrations of DC benefits.
02 November 2010
Employers will need to reconsider their pension arrangements after recent announcements from the government.
19 October 2010
The Government is going to amend the legislation that requires a trustees' resolution before 6 April 2011 if a scheme is to retain an existing power to make payments to the employer.
24 September 2010
Securities issued by the sponsoring employer that a pension scheme holds through a collective
investment scheme now count towards the 5% limit on "employer-related investment".
11 August 2010
Temple Trustees, along with pensions consultants Trigon, have successfully transferred the first non-annuitised scheme into the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS).
28 June 2010
The Pensions Regulator has issued new guidance for trustees on monitoring covenant and security for defined benefit pension schemes.
28 June 2010
A summary of the key pensions headlines from the recent Budget.
15 March 2010
South West businesses have been promised ‘a bonfire of red tape’ under a Conservative government. Speaking at Burges Salmon’s inaugural Non Executive Directors’ Forum in Bristol, Shadow Business Minister John Penrose MP underlined Conservative plans to scrap most tax credits for businesses and replace them with a lower rate of corporation tax.
15 February 2010
With a general election just round the corner, the main political parties have stepped up their campaigns and inevitably these have focussed on the important issues of public spending and tax and how to address the current budget deficit problem of around £175 billion. This looks likely to mean increased rates of personal tax. Click on the link to read more.
15 February 2010
Since the changes to inheritance tax in 2006, advisors have been talking about the advantages of using family partnerships (FPs) as an alternative. FPs are seen to offer many of the same features as trusts, but (crucially) without an immediate 20% inheritance tax (IHT) charge on their creation. However, despite these seeming advantages, progress has been slow and few FPs have actually been created. This article gives a candid view of the benefits and pitfalls of FPs.
15 February 2010
Following some significant teething problems with the new Lasting Powers of Attorney (the replacements for Enduring Powers of Attorney), a new version of the LPA forms became available from 1st October 2009.
19 June 2009
We have been selected to work with the London Development Agency.
31 March 2009
Our pensions team are to act for Babcock International Group plc in respect of all of its pension arrangements.
18 December 2008
New government proposals to square flexible retirement with the age discrimination regulations will disappoint many pension scheme trustees and employers.
14 November 2008
Defined benefit pension schemes need to review their rules about revaluing early leavers' benefits. Some may want to do so urgently.
07 October 2008
A growing focus on governance and conflicts.
25 September 2008
The Pensions Regulator has introduced life expectancy as a secondary trigger which may prompt intervention.
19 September 2008
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has issued new guidance wanting pension schemes to communicate more effectively and openly with their members.
02 September 2008
Pensions schemes are challenging HMRC over VAT on investment management fees.
05 August 2008
An update on changes as a result of the Finance Act 2008
28 July 2008
Scope of duties and where should the responsibility lie? Your views sought.
23 July 2008
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has delayed the introduction of changes to the way it assesses longevity assumptions.
03 July 2008
Martine Trouard-Riolle, Head of their Corporate Risk Management team, is leaving to pursue other career options