Pensions Paralegal

WOMBLE BOND DICKINSON; Bristol; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

WOMBLE BOND DICKINSON in Bristol is seeking a Paralegal to join our pensions team, one of the largest specialist pensions law teams in the country.

You will support an experienced partner on a busy workload, assisting with interpretation of scheme rules, due diligence on corporate and charity-led transactions, and preparation of scheme documents, board minutes and client presentations. We sponsor training and offer exposure to high-profile matters.

Qualifications

• Completed law degree or other legal qualification.
• At least 6 months experience as a Paralegal, Legal Assistant or similar role.
• Highly organised with ability to prioritise and communicate clearly.

Responsibilities

• Support pensions team on wide range of advice and research.
• Assist with drafting scheme documents, board minutes, resolutions and project plans.
• Undertake legal and pensions-specific research and prepare client materials.

Education

Law degree or equivalent

Tools

Case management system

Job description

Our pensions team is one of the largest specialist pensions law teams in the country. Their work encompasses a full range of legal advice working for a wide spectrum of pension scheme trustees, household name and multinational companies as well as organisations in the public and voluntary sectors.

We now have an exciting opportunity for a Paralegal to join the team in Bristol.

What will you be doing?

You will play an important role in supporting an experienced and collaborative pensions team, working closely with a partner on a busy and varied workload. The role will involve assisting on the full range of pensions‑related advice, from the interpretation of scheme rules through to complex scheme and corporate sponsor restructuring and wider strategic projects. You will also liaise regularly with colleagues across the firm, including the Corporate, Charities, Employment, and Public Law and Projects teams, to deliver a seamless service to clients.

As part of your day‑to‑day responsibilities, you will undertake detailed legal and pensions‑specific research using tools such as CoCounsel and other specialist resources. You will review pension scheme documentation, including historic governing records, to assess powers and restrictions, and support the updating and consolidation of scheme rules into clear, accessible working documents. You will contribute to client projects by preparing high‑quality materials such as scheme documents, board minutes, resolutions, project plans, legal reviews, and supporting presentations and spreadsheets, as well as undertaking legal due diligence on corporate and charity‑led transactions and reviewing company accounts for pension‑related disclosures.

The role also includes drafting communications to clients and third‑party advisers, and collaborating closely with colleagues to gather and provide input on complex matters. In addition, you will support the team's growth strategy in the South West by contributing to business development initiatives, including attending internal and external events and assisting with the preparation of tender submissions and pitch materials.

We are committed to supporting your professional development, including sponsoring attendance at technical pensions events to complement the training provided by the team. Some of these events will take place in London, offering valuable opportunities to expand your knowledge and professional network.

So what are we looking for?

Ideally, you’ll have already completed your legal education including at least a law degree or equivalent. Previous experience within finance or pensions would be helpful, but by no means essential. You need to be live to issues which may have a bearing on your work and so you’ll have an inquisitive mind as well as an eye for detail.

It is also important that you’re highly organised, efficient and able to prioritise effectively and communicate clearly. Given the business development and training elements mentioned above, it is important that you are willing to attend events and to travel.

To be successful in this role you’ll need, as a minimum:

• Have completed your law degree or other legal qualification and/or at least 6 months experience as a Paralegal, Legal Assistant or similar role.
• Experience managing multiple workloads simultaneously.
• Experience managing your own caseload, using case/client management system

What makes it great to work here?

We continually work hard to create an open culture that sets us apart from other firms. Our culture gives us much more of a human feel, emphasising that we’re more than just suits!

As signatories to the Mindful Business Charter, it’s important to us that our people are able to maintain healthy and happy lives, both in and out of work. We have a number of resources and initiatives designed to support health and wellbeing and we’re very happy to talk flexible working.

Through our DEI initiatives we create an environment in which difference is valued. We have a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Group, led by our Board Sponsor, which works with our colleague networks (we currently have firm supported networks for race, ethnicity and cultural heritage, LGBTQ+, disabilities, neurodiversity, families, and women’s career development and we’re in constant dialogue with our people about how we expand our networks to better support everybody). Find out more about DEI at WBD here. We encourage applicants from all social backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, gender identities and sexual orientations.

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long term condition and need us to make any adjustments to give you the best possible recruitment process, please let us know by contacting the recruiter on the right hand side of this page. Please also let us know if you need this job advert or the application form in a different format.

We will offer an interview to candidates with a disability or long‑term condition who meet the minimum criteria for this role. You can opt into this scheme within the application form. Your response to this question is only used for this purpose, is only visible to the recruitment team and is not used for data monitoring.

We are an in‑house recruitment team and will always aim to fill our roles directly in the first instance. If you’re an agency, please click here for ways that you can work with us.