Alice Kinder
SolicitorSolicitor in the employment and pensions team
I am a solicitor in the employment and pensions team and advise on all aspects of employment and pensions law. I support a range of charitable, commercial and public sector organisations as well as private individuals. I have a particular interest in working with social businesses and other organisations who aspire to become more values-driven. I aim to provide clear advice in order to assist clients with their strategic goals.
I have experience advising on a variety of employment and pensions issues. My employment experience ranges from bringing and defending Employment Tribunal claims to assisting with day-to-day HR matters, such as policies and procedures, changes to terms and conditions, and disciplinaries. I regularly advise on the TUPE and pensions implications of procurement and the terms of associated service contracts. I have significant experience of dealing with pension disputes on behalf of individuals, employers and pension funds, particularly those involving public sector schemes. I assist employer clients to manage the risks associated with their pension provision.
I also work with organisations who are looking to revise their employment and pensions strategy to enable them to operate in a more ethical way. This could include facilitating the recruitment and inclusion of underrepresented groups, developing a community volunteering programme, and considering the ethics of their pension investments. Alongside my role at Anthony Collins Solicitors, I sit on Birmingham Law Society’s Equality and Diversity Committee and I am chair of the Birmingham Law Society Social Mobility Sub-Committee. I am also a national social mobility ambassador for The Law Society. I, therefore, have substantial practical experience which I am able to share.
What is the extent of an employer’s duty of care to its employees, as pension scheme members, to inform them of their rights as members of the scheme?
Employers and pension funds must continue to do the following; pay benefits, make employer contributions, support savers and be alert for scams.
As some of us bemoan the withdrawal of one daily episode of the Archers, it is a reminder that no industry will be untouched by the Coronavirus and its effects. The pensions industry is no exception.
Alice Kinder, employment and pensions solicitor, looks at the impact of two recent decisions of the pensions ombudsman concerning the ill health retirement of individuals in the LGPS.
The engagement report found four key areas for improvement; key person risk, pension board management, protecting members from scams and handling employer-related risks.
A local authority recently received a "roasting" by the Pensions Ombudsman for their delay in processing an employee’s ill-health retirement pension, following her diagnosis with advanced cancer.
The gig economy, the tensions between it, and our more established ways of working are rarely far from the news these days.
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