Comron Rowe

Comron handles Pensions matters across the full range of private and public sector pension schemes. He has particular experience advising on the pensions aspects of corporate transactions, transfers of staff from the public sector, supporting other law firms and advising employers and trustees of schemes on strategy, funding negotiations, scheme closures, mergers and wind ups. He specialises in complex multi-employer schemes and also advises on pensions disputes, automatic enrolment, SIPPs and SSASs. Comron worked for Simmons & Simmons and McDermott Will & Emery in the City before helping establish a new pensions team at K&L Gates. He moved to Foot Anstey to establish and lead its pensions team in 2008 and become a partner in 2011, before joining Temple Bright in 2015. Comron has been consistently ranked as a leading pensions specialist by legal guides Chambers UK and Legal 500 and is described as “all round excellent” and offering “balanced, understandable and pragmatic advice”.

Experience

Relevant experience at Temple Bright includes:

Private sector

• Advising on the transfer of pension liabilities from Nikon UK to Nikon Holdings Europe as part of a merger of Nikon’s UK and European businesses.
• Advising a UK group on the closure of its defined benefit pension scheme and simultaneous transfer of pension liabilities from subsidiaries to the parent company as part of a group restructure.
• Assisting venture capital lenders with pensions due diligence on a UK group operating multiple defined benefit pension schemes, for a £150m refinancing.
• Advising a buyer on the transfer of £150m of pension liabilities from the target to the parent company to facilitate a solvent sale, followed by the wind-up of the parent company and transfer of the scheme to the PPF with clearance from the Pensions Regulator.
• Advising the UK subsidiary of another Japanese multinational on the closure of its defined benefit pension scheme.

Charity, public and education sectors

• Advising various national charities on pensions matters including negotiation of funding and security with trustees and transfer of pension liabilities on charitable mergers.
• Advising charities, service providers and local authority spin-outs on admission to the LGPS and negotiating protection from LGPS risks.
• Advising a county council on renegotiation of LGPS risk sharing provisions on the renewal of a major facilities management contract.
• Advising on admission to the Civil Service pension scheme and negotiating protection against the risks associated with a second generation transfer of liabilities from a “broadly comparable” pension scheme.
• Advising various healthcare businesses on admission to the NHS Pension Scheme via both direction employer and independent provider status.
• Advising universities and further education colleges on pensions matters including the apportionment of defined benefit liabilities and dealing with LGPS liabilities on mergers.
• Advising independent schools and multi-academy trusts including advising on exiting the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and advising on the acquisition and disposal of schools.