Biography
Penny has considerable experience in all pension matters, with a particular focus on advising companies, international firms and their pension trustees, on their UK pension arrangements. Penny also has extensive experience of advising charities on their pension arrangements and high net worth individuals on the 2015 pension flexibilities.
Recent highlights
- Advising on merging and de-merging schemes and putting in place flexible apportionment arrangements to achieve this.
- Advising trustees on a trivial commutation exercise following the new pension tax changes.
- Negotiating an impaired life buy in for a scheme’s pensioners.
- Advising a group on its migration to Cyprus and the appropriate mitigation to its pension scheme.
- Advising employers on putting in place contingent asset arrangements.
- Advising on UK tax compliance for QROPS following the April 2015 pension tax changes.
- Advising on a company’s life assurance and excepted life assurance arrangements.
Market view
"It is not always easy to give comprehensible advice on pensions matters to lay clients. I am impressed by the depth of Penny’s technical knowledge of the area." - Legal 500, 2023
"Penny Cogher has been proactive, responsive, practical and good at simplifying complicated matters." - Legal 500, 2022
Leading Individual - Chambers & Partners, 2022
"Penny Cogher was very readily available when necessary as a result of tight deadlines." – Legal 500, 2021
Penny Cogher is a "Leading Individual – Band 4." – Chambers & Partners, 2021
"She has provided pragmatic and timely advice and steered us through a complex situation with relative ease." – Client Quote from Chambers & Partners, 2020
"The 'amazingly good' Penny Cogher of Irwin Mitchell has strong experience advising companies and trustees on a broad range of pensions matters." – Chambers & Partners 2016
“Penny Cogher’s advice is always well thought out and she has an excellent grasp of pension legislation” – Chambers & Partners 2014
“Penny Cogher provides practical advice based on solid knowledge of the client’s industry and the relevant areas of the law, while taking into account business needs – Legal 500 2013
Publications
Pensions, auto-enrolment an furloughing – a furloughing director's guide, HR Zone, April 2020