Slaughter and May appoints leading pensions partner

Slaughter and May announces today that Dan Schaffer has been elected as a partner in the firm’s Pensions and Employment Group.  

Dan is widely recognised as one of London’s leading pensions specialists.  He has nearly 20 years’ experience advising at partner level on all aspects of pensions law, with a particular focus on strategic advisory and transactional work.  He also has significant expertise in advising on pensions disputes, having been involved in several landmark pensions cases. Dan’s recent work includes advising Coats plc on its  settlement of Pensions Regulator investigations, E.ON on its spin off of Uniper Group and on its UK schemes, Railways Pension Trustee Company on the management of the £25 billion scheme, and EPL on co-ordinating the £30 billion Electricity Supply Pension Scheme. 

Dan has played a major role in shaping pensions policy as a former Chairman of the Association of Pension Lawyers’ International Committee and as a member of the Association’s Legislative and Parliamentary Committee. 

Dan will join Slaughter and May’s integrated Pensions and Employment Group which has established an outstanding reputation for advising on some of the most complex, innovative and high profile pensions related matters. Slaughter and May’s Pensions and Employment Practice currently comprises four partners and over 25 qualified lawyers.

Steve Cooke, Slaughter and May’s Senior Partner, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Dan to the firm.  He has an exceptional market reputation and experience in relation to both advisory and transactional work.  This, combined with our established leading position in the pensions field, will enhance our service to our existing corporate and trustee clients and further grow our standing and reputation.”

Dan joins Slaughter and May from Herbert Smith Freehills where he is Head of Pensions and has been a partner for the last seven years.  Prior to Herbert Smith Freehills, Dan spent 12 years as a partner of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.  He studied law at the University of Bristol, graduating in 1986.  He has a BCL from Oxford and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Bristol University in 2016.