For those intent on keeping their ear to the ground, I thought I’d share some of what Mathieson Consulting have achieved this financial year. Gladly, there’s no shortage of good news!
To start, in 2017 / 2018, we have received over 650 new instructions in the field of Pensions and Divorce. While this is the core of our business, a lot more has gone on behind the scenes, including:
Investment in staff
This year we have invested more heavily than ever in staff.
For those intent on keeping their ear to the ground, I thought I’d share some of what Mathieson Consulting have achieved this financial year. Gladly, there’s no shortage of good news!
To start, in 2017 / 2018, we have received over 650 new instructions in the field of Pensions and Divorce. While this is the core of our business, a lot more has gone on behind the scenes, including:
This year we have invested more heavily than ever in staff. In 2017 two outstanding Actuaries, Chris Goodwin and Jonathan Galbraith, joined us. We also improved the administration team with the addition of Ms Kiren Dhesi, who has a wealth of experience in Pensions Administration, as well as having studied part time, and passed, her Graduate Diploma in Law, and Law Practicing Certificate. (Hands off, all you solicitors out there – we got Kiren first!)
We will be recruiting more staff in 2018 / 2019 to meet with the demand for our skills – all CVs gratefully considered!
We have now launched our first videos, designed to help lawyers convince their clients why they may need to instruct a Pensions Expert. The first can be found here. The second video will be available in the coming weeks.
In 2017 / 2018 I have delivered fourteen set piece lectures/ training sessions, attended by over 1000 lawyers. These included professionally run training events, local Resolution meetings, Chambers seminars, and in-house talks with lawyers over lunch. (Due to my desire to lose weight [over 4 stone so far and counting] I no longer insist on a fee of a Pork Pie – it is now a stick of celery!).
I have been part of the Pensions Advisory Group, a multi-disciplinary group comprising senior Judiciary, Barristers and Solicitors, Actuaries and Financial Advisers, and Law Academics from the Universities of Cambridge, Manchester, and Cardiff. The purpose of this group is to bring greater clarity and consistency to how pensions are dealt with in Divorce Proceedings. We will be reporting later this year.
We continue to be instructed in a significant number of Negligence cases, where lawyers are being sued for alleged negligence in the way they handled pensions in Divorce Proceedings. We act, I should hasten to add, only for the defendant solicitor, their solicitors, and the Insurers. We do not act for claimants. If you are not aware of what is happening in this field, just type “Pensions Divorce Negligence” into your Google search engine and see what happens!
We are working closely with Employment Lawyers, especially some in the Government Legal Department, in the application of the “Principles for Compensating Pension Loss”in Employment Tribunals. This follows the release of the 4th Edition of such guidance in August 2017. Having been instructed in Employment tribunal work before, and with actuaries here at Mathieson Consulting Ltd with fantastic knowledge of pensions, and a wealth of experience acting as Expert Witnesses, we really are well placed to be instructed as experts in such cases.
All in all, 2017 / 2018 has been a most remarkable year for Mathieson Consulting Ltd, and we expect a similar upwards trajectory in 2018 / 2019. Thank you for your support, and I really look forward to working with you in the future!
For actuarial expertise, or training and support services, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Mathieson Consulting.
George Mathieson
Owner
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