Jonathan Sharp
Biography
Jonathan is a partner in the Pensions Department and has over a decade's experience as a pensions lawyer. Jonathan joined Baker McKenzie in 2003 and he has spent three months in Baker McKenzie's Chicago office in their employee benefit department in 2008.
Jonathan is a member of the Association of Pensions Lawyers, sits on the Legal Advisory Group of the Pensions & Lifetime Savings Association, and also the PASA (Pensions Administration Standards Association) DC governance working group.
Jonathan has spoken at a number of conferences, including the Association of Pension Lawyers' summer conference, for the Pensions Management Institute, and the Association of Member Nominated Trustees.
Practice Focus
Jonathan advises companies and trustees in a variety of sectors on the legal aspects of operating pension plans. This includes establishing and amending pension schemes, investments, and resolving scheme members' complaints and Pensions Ombudsman disputes. He has a particular interest in the tax issues relating to pensions.
Jonathan has undertaken a variety of projects for clients, including complex pension plan mergers, the set-up of asset backed funding arrangements, and entering into fiduciary management agreements.
Another area of expertise is coordinating and advising on pensions in the context of multijurisdictional transactions.
Representative Legal Matters
- Advised a leading global services provider on the merger of five pension schemes in order to create a single pension scheme with assets in excess of GBP 3 billion.
- Advised trustees on negotiating and entering into a fiduciary management agreement relating the entirety of the assets of the plan (c. GBP 1 billion).
- Advised trustees of two pension schemes on the implementation of two asset backed contribution vehicles using loan notes.
- Advised Hitachi on the pension aspects of the acquisition of ABB's power grids business in over 100 jurisdictions.
- Advising Agilent on the spin-off of the Keysight business and the establishment of new UK defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Association of Pension Lawyers
- Law Society of England & Wales
Admissions
- England & Wales~United Kingdom (2005)
Education
- College of Law, Chester (L.P.C.) (2002)
- University of Manchester (LL.B., Honors) (2001)
Languages
- English