Doug Mullen

The head of the firm’s pensions team, Doug works with employers and pension funds to help them find solutions to problems.

With over 20 years of experience, Doug advises local authorities, pensions funds, housing associations and charities on outsourcing services, pensions disputes and appeals and changes to pension benefits, such as closing schemes. He regularly advises in relation to the Local Government Pension Scheme, Social Housing Pension Scheme, NHS and Teachers’ Pension Schemes. He is also very experienced in employment law, advising on transfers of staff, redundancies, complex employment investigations and disputes and trade union relations, as well as guiding clients on the cross-over between employment and pensions law.

Doug has been appointed to the Association of Pension Lawyers’ public sector committee, leads our relationship with the National Local Government Pension Scheme Frameworks and manages Anthony Collins’ appointment to the approved panel of legal services providers for funds and employers for this framework. He is experienced in advising Local Government Pension Scheme funds and employers on a range of issues including admissions and exits, staff transfers, internal dispute resolution procedure complaints and pensions ombudsman applications. Doug also advises on appeals against penalties imposed by the Pensions Regulator.

Doug is recognised for his expertise in both the local government and social housing sectors by the Legal 500 and clients say they like his ability to navigate and explain complex legal issues in a straightforward way. Doug is motivated by his desire to help people navigate problems and so improve their lives and those of the communities that they serve.

“He has sound knowledge of the area and is good on both defined contribution and defined benefit schemes.” Chambers and Partners, 2021