David
Gallagher is head of our Pensions
Practice and advises a wide range of clients - employers large and
small, trustees, pension product providers and individuals - on
day-to-day pensions matters, scheme restructurings, winding up
schemes, investment and litigation issues.
Originally qualified as a barrister, David worked in the public
sector from 1993 to the end of 1999. He has specialised in pensions
law since 1996. David has played a leading role in developing the
firm's public sector pensions practice which is now widely
recognised as a market leader. He has worked on a number of high
profile and sensitive projects for government bodies and he has
been at the forefront of developing drafting solutions for the
greater protection of public funds on future re-tenders mandated by
revised government guidance.
David handles all areas of work, from drafting trust deeds and
rules for new occupational pension schemes and consolidating scheme
governing documents to member disputes, funding negotiations and
advising on the winding-up process. He frequently manages the
pensions aspect of corporate transactions from other departments of
the firm and has advised on the pensions aspects of a number of
major public private partnership transactions and private sector
mergers, acquisitions, disposals and insolvency, including the use
of regulatory clearance procedures.
David has been involved in a number of pensions disputes in the
courts for employers, trustees and representative beneficiaries
including the Smithson v Hamilton case which progressed to the
Court of Appeal, as well as a number of pre-litigation matters
where the disputes have been resolved.
David advises across the following sectors: financial institutions, technology & communications, energy, life sciences,
hotels & leisure, media & entertainment, public sector, retail,
sport and transport.
David is a widely published pensions author and had written for
a variety of legal publications including the Lawyer
magazine, Legal Week, Pensions World,
Tolley's Administration of Estates (Pensions chapter),
Practical Law for Companies, and the Public Sector
Employment Law Journal. He recently wrote a range of pensions
briefing notes for Tolley's Tax Manual and is author of
the pensions section of a major new book, Outsourcing Law and
Practice, written by Field Fisher Waterhouse, published by the
Law Society
David has appeared on national and international television as
an expert commentator on topical pension issues. In November 2007,
David delivered a technical lecture to an audience of approximately
300 specialist pension lawyers at the Association of Pension
Lawyers annual conference.
David also speaks basic French.