Catherine Austin

Practice Areas

Catherine has extensive experience advising employers and trustees on the establishment and operation of occupational pension schemes including advising on: entitlements to pension scheme membership; member nominated trustee elections; dispute resolution; Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman investigations; Pensions Authority audits and investigations; negotiation of funding agreements and funding proposals and administration queries relating to pension adjustment orders, death in service benefits and dependants’ entitlements.

Her practice also includes advising on the pensions aspects of mergers and acquisitions, pension scheme restructurings, the negotiation of scheme funding agreements, including novel contingent asset use, and funding proposals, including benefit reduction proposals to the Pensions Authority, and scheme wind-ups.

Catherine has particular expertise in the negotiation of investment management agreements and agreements governing relationships with service providers including the GDPR related aspects of such agreements. She advises public sector and private sector clients on the potential impact of proposed pension policy and legislative changes.

Career

Admitted as a solicitor, 2004. Catherine joined McCann FitzGerald as a Consultant in 2019. Prior to joining McCann FitzGerald, she was a partner at Arthur Cox. Earlier in her career, Catherine worked for Mercer.

Professional Memberships

Law Society of Ireland, Association of Pension Lawyers of Ireland, Irish Association of Pension Funds, IPEBLA.