Biography
Penny has considerable experience in all pension matters, with a particular focus on advising trustees and companies (including overseas groups) on their UK pension arrangements, including governance, compliance and risk management. Penny also has extensive experience of advising charities on their pension arrangements and high net worth individuals on their pension tax and their family pension arrangements, including on small self-administered pension schemes.
Recent highlights
- Advising on GMP equalisation.
- Negotiating and advising on buys in and buy outs.
- Advising on discretionary pension increases.
- Defending a company group on litigation about a director’s pension arrangements.
- Advising on a group’s life assurance and excepted life assurance arrangements.
- Advising on bulk transfers to DC Master Trusts and setting up employer pension committees to monitor the new scheme.
- Advising individuals on a wide variety of pension questions both UK and international- often tax related.
- Acting as a professional trustee through Queen Street Trustees Limited.
Market view
‘Penny Cogher; Very friendly, but business like. Penny has a wealth of knowledge in the pension arena. Gave me the confidence that my issue, though only a small fund, was being dealt with very effectively. This was a time of extreme stress for me personally. I can only say I am glad Penny was my guide through this maze. Cannot recommend highly enough.’
'Penny Cogher is a breath of fresh air, providing practical solutions in the regulated sphere.' - Legal 500, 2025
"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
Publications
Penny is regularly quoted in the pension magazines and she writes the UK Chapter on Getting the Deal Through.
Read Penny's articles here
