Jessica Smith
Associate
Jessica is a mid-level associate with expertise in advising trustees and employers on all aspects of pensions law, regulatory challenges and managing complex transactional work.
Associate
Jessica is a mid-level associate with expertise in advising trustees and employers on all aspects of pensions law, regulatory challenges and managing complex transactional work.
Jessica advises both employer and trustee clients on the full spectrum of pension law issues. Prior to joining Stephenson Harwood in January 2025, Jessica spent over five years practicing at a magic circle firm in London. Jessica currently serves on the committee for the APL's Future Young Leaders in Pensions.
Longevity swaps
Advising on the first longevity swap in the UK to include active members and the second largest in the UK, covering approximately £2bn of liabilities for around 14,500 pensions in payment, deferred and active members.Buy-ins
Experience advising in relation to buy-ins and buy-outs, including 11 transactions in 2025 alone. Most recently, this has included advising the Mercer DB Master Trust on nine simultaneous de-risking transactions affecting various sections of the fund, including preparing benefit specifications and drafting and managing transaction documents.
Amendment power restrictions
Advising in relation to schemes with amendment power restrictions following the landmark BBC cases and the implications for schemes with restrictions in their governing documents, including preparing for a court application to determine the interpretation of the fetter.
IDRP and Pension Ombudsman complaints
Advising on the full spectrum of IDRP and Pensions Ombudsman complaints.Corporate transactions
Advising on multi-jurisdictional corporate transactions, drafting due diligence reports, warranties and indemnities and advising on the impact of the Beckmann case.