Wragge & Co LLP has expanded its Human Resources group with the appointment of a new pensions partner. Richard Lee has been promoted to the firm's partnership, taking the total number of partners dedicated to human resources work to 14.

Richard has played an important part in building the firm's reputation as a leading source of innovative advice and support on a full range of human resources law issues. A specialist in both pensions and employment law, he leads the Combined Human Resources Solutions (CHRS) team. This team, which provides the link between pure pensions and pure employment work, supplying a unique service to pension sponsors and trustees, is the only one of its kind in the UK.

Glyn Ryland, head of the Pensions team, said: "Richard is a high-calibre lawyer whose insight into the challenges posed by pensions and employment issues now and in the future helped us develop our innovative CHRS team. Under his stewardship, this team is a central source of top-quality, commercially focused legal advice on strategic pensions, benefits and employment issues."

Richard said: "Many organisations today are finding it more and more difficult to see where pensions law stops and employment law starts. CHRS is the link, providing a focused service covering all aspects of human resources law. With a team dedicated to these issues, our clients can be confident of the legal basis for all human resources action and planning."

Wragge & Co's five-lawyer CHRS team has been tailored to meet the changing HR requirements of 21st century organisations. With expertise in: discrimination claims, TUPE and pensions consultation, flexible benefits, part-timer claims, absence management and ill-health benefits, flexible retirement and benefits beyond normal retirement age, pension scheme restructuring, final salary pension scheme debt management, employee financial education and communication, staff retention and reward (including incentives), the team advises on the full range of practical and legal challenges facing employers. Clients include, Thales, Meggitt, Emap, Sanctuary Housing Association, Cemex UK, CB Richard Ellis and NIAB.

The CHRS team is part of Wragge & Co's 75-lawyer Human Resources group. The group is home to the FT Business Pensions and Investment Provider Awards law firm of the year as well as a national employment practice.

Richard is one of nine new partners promoted in corporate, real estate, IP, construction, finance litigation and human resources as of 1 May 2008.

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For further information about this press release, contact Kathryn Hobbs on +44 (0)121 213 2397, Alexa Highfield on +44 (0)121 213 2396 or Matthew Purcell on +44 (0)121 213 2360

This press release may contain information of general interest about current legal issues, but does not give legal advice.