Pensions & Employee Incentives
Our highly experienced pensions and employee incentives team advises on all aspects of pensions and employee incentive arrangements. We pride ourselves on providing practical, commercial and easy to understand advice to trustees, beneficiaries and employers. Where contentious issues arise, we work closely with our litigation team to ensure that our service is seamless.
Pensions
Our specialist pensions legal team have experience in advising employers, trustees, administrators and other pension professionals across a wide range of pension related matters. The evolution of pension schemes requires careful consideration to market changes, as well as changes to the employers' circumstances and the shape of their workforce. Our capabilities reflect this, allowing us to advise on all aspects of a pension arrangement, including its establishment, ongoing review, and closure and termination.
With representation on the Jersey pensions law working group, we play an active role in shaping Jersey's pensions law and equally in Guernsey, we have an in depth understanding of the domestic legislation and governing regulation.
Our clients include employers, trustees and members, both domestically and internationally and we also enjoy close working relationships with international advisers such as lawyers and accountants on cross border schemes involving the jurisdictions where we practice.
Our expertise includes:
- Establishing, ongoing review, closing and winding up of pension schemes
- Reviewing and amending scheme rules to ensure their compliance with legislation
- corporate governance issues
- regulatory issues, including FATCA and the common reporting standard
- Funding issues
- Restructuring and insolvency solutions.
- Corporate acquisitions, disposals, mergers and reorganisations
- Legal issues relating to investments
- Tax issues
- Litigation
- Pension issues on termination of employment
- Trustee education and training
Employee Incentives
Employee incentive arrangements are a critical component in the employee and employer relationship and when deployed effectively, can drive and enhance performance. Our employee incentives team advises across a wide spectrum of arrangements including share option plans and bonus plans for both local and international clients.
Our expertise includes:
- Establishing, structuring, ongoing review and terminating schemes
- Working with employers to develop incentive programmes to motivate their key staff as well as meeting their commercial objectives
- Corporate governance issues
- Regulatory issues, including FATCA and common reporting standard
- Corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, restructures and dissolutions on all forms of employee incentives.
Nancy Chien will be speaking at Jersey Finance’s breakfast briefing on International Savings Plans (ISPs) on 5 March at The Royal Yacht Hotel. As chairman of the Jersey Pensions Association, Nancy has been instrumental in lobbying for and shaping the ISP sc...
The States of Jersey has issued a consultation paper on proposed regulation of pensions business ("Consultation Paper"). This is a much welcomed consultation: the responses to the consultation will be important to the continuing development of the Island's...
This week the States of Jersey has approved a new International Savings Plan (ISP) regime. Nancy Chien (Bedell Cristin partner and chairman of the Jersey Pensions Association) has been instrumental in shaping the new legislation and explains the benefits o...
UK legislative changes have caused a fundamental shift in the types of pension products that can be offered by International Finance Centres such as the Channel Islands. The Jersey Pensions Association has proposed an amendment to the Jersey law that will m...
On 5 April, the Jersey Financial Services Commission ("JFSC") and the States of Jersey released a joint consultation paper (the "Consultation Paper") to provide a regulatory framework for the advice given when benefits are transferred out from defined benef...
Bedell Cristin Jersey and Guernsey have been shortlisted for 'Law Firm of the Year' in the Citywealth IFC Awards 2018.
Bedell Cristin is a finalist in two categories of the prestigious STEP Private Client Awards 2017/18.
Bedell Cristin has been shortlisted for ‘Offshore Law Firm of the Year’ in the prestigious annual awards organised by The Lawyer.
Bedell Cristin has been awarded the Offshore Client Service Award at the prestigious Chambers Europe Awards.
Speaking at the recent Jersey Pensions Association conference, Bedell Cristin's Nancy Chien highlighted the need for pension regulation in Jersey.
The management buyout of Bedell Trust has completed following regulatory approvals. As a result, Bedell Cristin is now a wholly separate business to Bedell Trust.
The Jersey Pensions Association is staging its inaugural conference next month to address some of the key developments affecting providers of local and international pensions.
Bedell Cristin has been shortlisted in the prestigious STEP (Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners) Private Client Awards for 2015.
Bedell has been shortlisted in the ‘Offshore Law Firm of the Year’ category in the prestigious Asian Legal Business SE Asia Awards 2015 for the third consecutive year.
Bedell Crsitin has been shortlisted for a further industry awards adding to the accolades achieved to date this year.
The draft regulations on Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes ("QROPS") (The Overseas Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous) Regulations 2015) (the "Draft Regulations")) published by HMRC on 19 December 2014 will have an impact on all Jersey pension sche...
Bedell has been recognised in a number of industry awards.
The draft Income Tax (Amendment No. 44) (Jersey) Law 201- (the "New Law") was passed by the States Assembly (Jersey's government) today. The introduction of this legislation is designed to simplify and modernise the taxation of pensions and to increase the ...
We are pleased to announce our membership of the World Services Group (WSG) representing both Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands. We are looking forward to working with other member firms and developing our membership.
The Minister for Treasury and Resources announced major changes to Jersey's pensions regime as part of the 2015 Budget on 17 July 2014; draft legislation on those changes was lodged au Greffe on 18 July 2014 ("Draft Law").
The draft Charities (Jersey) Law 201- (the "Charities Law") has been lodged today for debate in July by the States Assembly (Jersey's government).
On 4 February 2014 the Commercial Court in Ireland (the "Court") gave its judgment in Greene and Others v Coady & Others [2014] IEHC 38, otherwise known as the "Element Six" case.
Bedell Cristin has been named ‘Offshore Law Firm of the Year’ at the Chambers Europe Awards for Excellence 2014.
It is important that Jersey pension schemes which receive transfers from UK pension schemes or other Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes ("QROPS") comply with the requirements in the UK.
Advising the purchaser on all pension law issues relating to an acquisition of a trust company business.
Advising in relation to the termination of a pension scheme.
Advising a UK based employer on the establishment of a pension arrangement for the staff of its Jersey and other overseas operations.
The draft regulations on Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes ("QROPS") (The Overseas Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous) Regulations 2015) (the "Draft Regulations")) published by HMRC on 19 December 2014 will have an impact on all Jersey pension sche...
Our pensions briefing of November 2013 summarised the consultation paper entitled "Tax rules applying to pensions and pension schemes" ("Consultation"). A summary of the responses to the Consultation was subsequently presented to the States by the Minister ...
On 4 February 2014 the Commercial Court in Ireland (the "Court") gave its judgment in Greene and Others v Coady & Others [2014] IEHC 38, otherwise known as the "Element Six" case. The judgment provides insight into the duties of pension trustees and fundame...
On 8 October 2013, the tax policy unit of the States of Jersey issued a consultation paper entitled "tax rules applying to pensions and pension schemes" ("Consultation Paper"). The Consultation Paper seeks to modernise and simplify the current arcane rules...
This briefing is relevant for trustees, employers, members and administrators of Jersey pension schemes that receive transfers from UK pension schemes or other Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes ("QROPS") for Jersey residents. In practice this i...
The JPA has proposed an amendment to Jersey law that will make locally-managed international savings plans an attractive proposition to providers around the world.
