John Quarrell (1948-2026)

We are very sorry to report the death of John Quarrell, aged 77, one of the most distinguished and influential pensions solicitors of his generation. JQ (as he was widely known) joined Nabarro in the 1970s and went on to lead its pensions practice for 26 years, becoming one of the best-known names in the pensions industry. He was one of the founders of the APL and a former Chairman, as well as playing prominent roles in the wider pensions community through the NAPF and the PMI. He was also a prolific writer on pensions and trust law, perhaps best known for The Law of Pension Fund Investment, published in 1990. He was an original and independent thinker, never afraid to express a view, and he made a substantial contribution to the development of pensions law as a recognised legal specialism.

His route to that position was remarkable. His daughter Helen recalls that he left school at 16 with a CSE in woodwork and, after working at the Land Registry and Clerical Medical, was persuaded by a colleague to return to education. While continuing to work full-time, he took two A-levels and a degree at night school before obtaining articles at Nabarro in 1973. Helen also remembers a mischievous and immensely sociable man, fond of terrible jokes and determined that nobody in the room should be left out: frequently the last person at the bar, but nevertheless “bright and sharp and ready to go again” the next morning, sustained by gallons of tea.

JQ was a force of nature who left a very considerable mark on the pensions world. He will be greatly missed.