Former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer pensions partner David Pollard is to join Wilberforce Chambers at the end of the year.
It is understood that Pollard, who has been at the magic circle firm for 35 years, has left Freshfields and will join Wilberforce on 4 December this year.
Pollard, who led Freshfields’ pensions practice for several years, retired from the magic circle firm’s partnership in 2015 and has been a consultant at the firm ever since.
Wilberforce head of chambers Michael Furness QC said: “Adding David to our pensions group expands our ability to offer our clients advice on all aspects of occupational pensions and helps us match the demands of an increasingly specialist market.”
Chair of the pensions group Paul Newman added: “David’s technical pensions expertise supports the group’s mainstream pension work and helps to provide out clients with a comprehensive service across pension law issues.”
Pollard is not the only Freshfields solicitor to have carried out a career change to the Bar.
In July this year, competition partner Jon Lawrence said he would be taking on a pupillage at Brick Court Chambers, with his position going live next year. He remains at Freshfields until then.
Lawrence, who leads the firm’s competition litigation team, is also a Freshfields lifer and has worked at the magic circle firm since 1984. He is also co-head of its cartel skills group, having worked on the defence of cartel claims for Volvo and Renault, as well as ABB and Bayer.
Last year litigation partner Ian Terry also retired from the magic circle firm to join One Essex Court as a mediator.
Terry had spent his entire professional life at Freshfields, joining as a trainee and rising to managing partner between 1996 and 2001. He headed the firm’s global dispute resolution department between 2006 and 2008.
