Pensions Law – a career ‘best kept secret’

In this special episode we are joined by two guests.  Dominika Gasiorowski and Ibinabo Osasona, who are both Associates in the Pensions Law Team at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP.  Dominika is based in the Manchester offices of CMS and Ibinabo is based in the firm’s Glasgow offices.  In this episode we aim to “de-mystify” pensions law, explaining why it is an important and interesting area of legal practice in which to develop a career.  Dominika begins by talking about how pensions law came to be high profile, following the 1991 Robert Maxwell case, in which £450m of assets were found to be missing from the pension funds of companies under Maxwell’s control.  Ibinabo explains how pension management is often linked to changes in the current economic climate, leading to issues such as the affordability of pension savings and the need for younger people to start their pension planning as early as possible.  Our guests also explain the types of work they do in their Pensions Team at CMS, ranging from litigation to advising Trustees of pension schemes and also working with individuals who require pensions-related advice.  Dominika and Ibinabo discuss how this area of law gives insights into the legal work in other departments, as they are often working collaboratively with colleagues on topics ranging from employment law to data protection, or with their Corporate teams on large mergers or acquisitions where they are pensions issues to be considered.  We explore too the skills needed to work as a Pensions lawyer, including research; the skill of asking good questions and “being a good detective”; communication and managing deadlines; and also the skill of empathy to build long-term client relationships – as clients often work with their advisers for many years.  Actions and resources for listeners:·         See the CMS Pensions Team knowledge resources, highlighting current issues for Pensions law. ·         On this Chambers Guide for Pensions law, look at the section “What lawyers do” and the “Realities of the job”: how do your own skills match up against these areas (and those highlighted by Dominika and Ibinabo in the podcast)?