Partner joins as head of pensions law
Deloitte Legal has announced the appointment of Claire Bell as partner and head of the firm’s pensions law offering.
Based in Manchester, Claire will be responsible for building Deloitte’s pensions law practice in the UK, combining Deloitte Legal’s advisory and business services expertise with the firm’s existing capabilities within the pensions space.
Claire has been advising clients in pensions law for over 18 years. She joins Deloitte Legal from DLA Piper UK where she was a partner. Prior to this, Claire trained at Womble Bond Dickinson and worked at Eversheds. A fellow of the Pensions Management Institute, Claire recently won Mentor of the Year at the Women in Pensions Awards 2020.
Since qualification, Claire has acted for a broad spectrum of clients in respect of pensions issues, including trustees of defined benefit pension schemes, employers sponsoring such schemes, public sector bodies, authorities and contractors bidding for contracts. Claire has also acted for corporates carrying out transactions, restructuring their groups, or managing their pension liabilities.
Commenting on the appointment Michael Castle, UK managing partner for Deloitte Legal, said: “Claire’s in-depth knowledge of pensions law is exactly what we’ve been looking for and she will help bridge the gap between our legal and pensions businesses. Claire will work alongside our corporate, M&A, outsourcing and employment lawyers while also integrating with Deloitte’s actuaries, consultants, administrators and investment consultants to provide an end-to-end solution for clients.
'We remain unwavering in our determination to hire the top talent in order to provide our clients with best-in-class service.'
Claire Bell, partner and head of pensions law at Deloitte Legal, said: 'The team at Deloitte Legal is expanding rapidly and it is fantastic to contribute to providing a full service offering to clients. Further, there is real value in Deloitte offering legal advice alongside pensions consultancy, actuarial, administration and investment advice. Not only does this improve efficiency, this is also a more collaborative approach that ultimately leads to cost savings and a better experience for our clients.'
The appointment follows Deloitte’s recent acquisitions of Kerr Henderson, a pension scheme administration and actuarial consultancy, and Kemp Little, a technology and digital law firm.
Mark McClintock, head of Deloitte’s UK pensions business, commented: 'With Claire’s arrival we will now be able to provide a new legal dimension to our pensions clients.
'Whether providing general legal advice or interpreting pensions liabilities for a complex transaction, Claire’s concrete understanding of pensions law and experience across the public and private sectors will be tremendously valuable.'
Deloitte Legal now has more than 370 people in the UK, with 170 lawyers delivering technology-enabled legal solutions and legal advisory in areas such as employment, litigation, corporate, commercial, IP and technology, regulatory compliance and immigration.
Globally, Deloitte Legal currently has c.2,500 professionals operating in more than 80 countries.
