This On-Demand covers when relationships end, pension benefits are often the largest—and most misunderstood—asset on the table.
As part of our Protection series, leading family law solicitor Muriel Walls leverages 40 years of courtroom, mediation, and collaborative-law experience to give advisers a clear, practice-ready framework for handling Pension Adjustment Orders (PAOs) during divorce or separation.
Muriel will dissect the legal mechanics of PAOs, outline valuation and liquidity challenges, and demonstrate how to craft settlements that meet both parties’ long-term financial needs while minimizing tax leakage
Drawing on her tenure as former Chair of the Legal Aid Board and decades of high-value casework, she delivers pragmatic guidance that bridges the gap between legal theory and client-focused solutions.
Ideal for financial advisers, pension trustees, and legal professionals, this session provides the expertise you need to safeguard retirement benefits and negotiate equitable outcomes in complex family breakups.
On-Demand Event Highlights:
Why pensions matter in family breakdown
See why retirement pots are often the easiest asset to overlook.
Understanding Pension Adjustment Orders (PAOs)
Break down the mechanics, tax angles, and timing traps of PAOs in plain language.
Valuation & division methods
Compare clean break vs. deferred sharing models and learn when each works best.
Compliance & documentation pitfalls
Spot the paperwork errors that can derail settlements years later
Muriel Walls qualified as a Solicitor in 1977 and practices exclusively in the area of Family Law. Muriel is now a Partner in the niche Family Law Firm of Walls & Toomey, having been a partner with McCann FitzGerald for over twenty years. Muriel is a Family Mediator as well as an experienced Collaborative Practitioner. Muriel has written and lectured extensively on all aspects of family law and in particular the impact the separation and divorce process can have on the parties, their children and their work. Muriel specialises in the financial aspects of cases. Muriel is a problem solver and tries to find solutions that meet the needs of the client and their family. Muriel was Chair of the Legal Aid Board from 2011 to October 2016.
This is an On-Demand CPD Event. It is a recorded session accessible at your convenience, offering the flexibility to view it at a time that suits you. CPD hours are awarded upon the successful completion of a brief multiple-choice quiz at the end of the recording. To qualify for CPD, it is required to achieve a minimum score of 19 out of 25 on the quiz. If you are unsuccessful in the quiz on your first attempt, there is an opportunity to retake it as many times as necessary.
This event serves as an ideal resource for professionals seeking to revisit critical highlights or deepen their knowledge of key topics, all while fulfilling their CPD requirements.
HOW CAN I ACCESS THIS EVENT ON-DEMAND?
If you register for this event and find you cannot attend on the day, the event will be made available On-Demand within seven working days.
You can view the event On-Demand via LIA Elevate. To obtain CPD, you will be required to complete a short series of multiple-choice questions at the end of the recording.
1. Click here to log into your LIA account.
2. Hover over ‘LIA Elevate’ in the top navigation bar and select ‘My Events and On Demand Learning’.
3. Click “Go to your Learning Centre”.
4. The On-Demand module will appear for you to complete within your Learning Centre. This will only be available 7 working days after the event.