Catherine Lonergan Associate

Catherine Lonergan is an associate in the Pensions Practice Group, based in Leeds.  She joined Squire Sanders in 2010. 

Catherine trained with Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw in London including spending time in their highly regarded pensions team.  She then worked in the dispute resolution team at DLA Piper LLP in Leeds for a number of years where she specialised in litigation relating to tax, trusts and pensions.  During this time Catherine had extensive experience in advising trustees and sponsoring companies on professional negligence claims against professional advisers including solicitors, actuaries and plan administrators.  She also has experience of applications to court for rectification of plan deeds and rules and for directions as to the administration of pension plans.

Catherine has specialised in non-contentious pensions law since 2007.  She advises both trustees and sponsoring employers on a broad range of pensions-related issues including drafting plan documentation, closure to accrual of benefits, putting in place PPF-compliant and other contingent assets, clearance applications and corporate support work.

Catherine is a member of the Association of Pensions Lawyers.

Representative Experience

• Advising a major Europe-based company with respect to grant of parent company guarantee to trustees of UK pension plan.
• Advising independent trustees of a number of pension plans in Pension Protection Fund assessment periods.
• Advising plan trustees on whether the plan had properly equalised retirement ages for male and female members and the implications for the plan.
• Assessing and advising sponsoring employer on a variety of potential claims against current and previous professional advisers arising from potentially negligent advice.
• Advising sponsoring employer on complaint to Pensions Ombudsman re maladministration and negligence of plan administrator.