Richard Black

I advise trustees and employers on all aspects of pensions law. I also chair the Midlands group of the Association of Pensions Lawyers.

Tel: +44 (0)121 260 9829

Email: richard_black@wragge.com

Best brains in...

Pensions aspects of M&A and corporate restructuring. Through work on employer contribution rules, I'm credited as one of the first pensions lawyers to advocate that trustees must establish a commercial, constructive relationship with employers.

Most challenging job you've ever done?

There have been a number where it has been a real challenge to get a party to understand the position of the pension scheme in a corporate context, e.g. the impact of an M&A transaction on the scheme.

Also, advising a major trustee client on the implementation of an LDI strategy in 2004 (including swaps overlays) when the thinking in this area was still new. It was a real challenge to anticipate and deal with all of the issues while ensuring that the trustees and members were protected.

What about outside the UK?

I have acted for a number of US and European clients. One very happy memory is successfully acting for a German client looking to merge its seven UK defined benefit schemes. An intense project but very enjoyable, and the client was delighted with the result.

Dedication to client care?

I advised a corporate client on the pensions aspects of its public takeover. There was a lot of liaison with the client's pension scheme trustees - they seemed to like what I did as they appointed me as their lawyer two months after the deal had completed.

Best example of a creative legal solution?

Advising a trustee client where the company had terminated the pension scheme but had then (as a result of employee pressure) changed its mind and wanted to reopen the scheme to accrual. I was not aware that this had been done before. Our advice had to walk a fine line between achieving the reopening but ensuring that the membership was fully protected for the future.

How do you get under the skin of a client's business?

Talk to your clients! The advice will only be useful if you understand your client's objectives and the context within which it operates.

What's your single greatest contribution to Wragge & Co's corporate responsibility?

I am a trustee of Cure Leukaemia, a young and vibrant Midlands-based charity which supports research on finding a cure for the disease and also provides direct support for patients and their families. It is an exciting, rewarding and humbling role!

What's been written or said about you that you're most proud of?

We pride ourselves on the clarity and pragmatism of our advice. So, being called 'forthright' and 'an excellent communicator' by clients in directories is obviously great.

After I had finished one gruelling merger process for a client (where we had to get a number of law firms advising the various trustees to agree to our proposal), I was described by one client as a 'street fighter' which I think was meant as a compliment!