I deal with all aspects of pensions advice to employers and trustees of both DB and DC arrangements. This covers a huge range of work as advice can be providing legal support to trustees or employers and varies between transactional, advisory and strategic, and often entails all three.

I provide clients with clear advice and aim to assist in good governance and outcomes, working alongside their other professional advisers.

My practice includes advising trustees of several open DB schemes who face very different scenarios to most closed schemes, advising on various risk transfer matters and ensuring that all stakeholders understand the complexity of the scheme they aim to obtain a buy-in for. I also spend time on the SPP Council and supporting them by chairing webinar and seminar sessions, being inside government consultations and hopefully building links with other professionals and the SPP, with the industry bodies. I am also the lead partner on several large multi-employer DB schemes across a variety of industries making the challenge of fitting the advice and the complex pensions legislation to the given client.

Recent experience

• assisting a client achieving master trust authorisation in time for their new DC feeder scheme to go live
• working on a large risk transfer project, overseeing a team working to be pragmatic and supportive of sponsor and trustee’s desires
• advising on GMP conversion on a client that has all pensioners in payment converted by the end of 2023 as planned for and deferreds at retirement on time
• advising trustees on complex equalisation and power of amendment issues.

Joined Sackers: 1998

Became partner: 2006

Testimonials

“Janet has a lovely way of explaining complex and difficult issues in a way that really helps them to be understood.” – Chambers UK

“Janet is the most fantastic person to work with. She has the trustee’s best interest at heart every time” – Chambers UK CMI Report

“Janet Brown is a gem and has the unique skill of making our trustee board feel relaxed and assured when she gives her advice. Her regular reassurance is so valuable as we grapple with a range of complex topics.” – Legal 500

“We love Janet. She is smart and makes pensions law fun. She is obviously a very clever lady with an encyclopaedic knowledge of her field.” – Chambers UK

 “Janet advises us with clarity and enthusiasm” – Legal 500

“She is technically able and pragmatic.” “She’s a down-to-earth, approachable lawyer who gives pragmatic legal advice.” – Chambers UK

“Janet is an absolute star. She is extremely driven and witty and is a joy to work with.” – Chambers UK CMI report