Michelmores offer a personalised and prompt service and all of their lawyers are extremely knowledgeable about their field of expertise. The speed of action is the best facet of this firm.
Michelmores is a firm which takes time to listen to client needs, prefers face-to-face meeting and is responsive to requests. The advice is clear and well communicated.
They have impressed me due to their high-quality advice and support.
We strive to make life easier for trusts and schools as they navigate an increasingly wide range of responsibilities.
We currently provide legal services and support for over 70 Multi-Academy Trusts and around 1000 schools, with over 50 specialist education law solicitors across the firm.
Our experts give more than just expert legal advice; everything we do is with the improvement of teaching and learning outcomes for children in mind. Our education lawyers are passionate about the education sector with most volunteering as Governors or Trustees and bring this experience to their practice. At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to working with you to provide practical, solution-driven advice that is as much about strategy as it is about the law.
Our clients
We work with a diverse range of clients from across the Education Sector including:
- Ambitions Academies Trust;
- Aspirations Academies Trust;
- Derby Diocesan Academy Trust;
- Beckmead Trust;
- Ventrus Multi-Academy Trust;
- Academies Enterprise Trust.
Our work
We offer a range of services with the aim of becoming trusted legal advisors to our clients, so that they can focus on delivering education. Though not limited to the below, we list a range of services we can offer to our education clients:
- Re-brokerage: Michelmores has led on some of the country’s most high-profile re-brokerages including Lilac Sky, Bright Tribe, Adventure Learning Academies Trust; Schools Company Trust and TBAP. We have acted for the incoming and outgoing Trusts and supported the interim Board of Trustees dealing with issues relating to fraud, negligence, and communications and managing the media, dismissals, health & safety, contractual disputes, FOI and SARs.
- Company and Charity Law Advice: our team has a wealth of experience in advising Trusts in relation to their obligations under charity and company law. We also offer a company secretarial service to all our clients.
- Compliance with data protection and privacy regulations and FOI requests: We offer ongoing support to Trusts, Schools and other educational institutions to ensure they comply with the relevant legislation. We regularly provide best practice seminars and provide training on current issues.
- Employment Advice: Our Education team has significant experience advising individual Academy Trusts and MATs, local authorities maintained schools and diocesan schools, and further and higher education institutions. We currently provide HR and Employment law support to over 1,000 schools around the country.
- Land and Property: As well as supporting schools and trusts through conversions and transfers, our team can offer advice to resolve ongoing land issues and new transactions. This includes, disposals, redevelopment acquisitions and rectifying historical issues.
Recent experience
Academy conversion: supporting around 200 academies across the country including the establishment of individual academies, umbrella trusts, multi-academy trusts and multi-academy sponsors.
Academy post-conversion support: assisting academies in relation to the range of legal issues facing them following conversion.
Private school: working in partnership with the wider professional team to deliver a significant development of the school’s estate within a tax efficient structure.
Private school: recovery of fees.
School: advice on PFI/PPP structures.
School: advising on third party occupational issues and management of occupation of the estate.
Free schools: advising in excess of 40 applicants across all of the application rounds to date.
Free schools: supporting a nationally recognised charity in the establishment of a multi-academy trust to support several applications for special free schools.
FE Institution: intellectual property spin-out matters and internal intellectual property procedures.
FE Institution: collaboration agreement, including phased tenancy arrangements between the college and a charity to establish a secondary campus focused around an innovative and dynamic teaching programme.
FE Institution: advising on a £multi-million disposal of surplus accommodation to a developer including strategic support and complex title issues.
FE Institution: advising on commercial contracts and procurement of day-to-day services including standard terms and conditions.
FE Institution: defending a large scale group action relating to the pension rights of part-time workers.
University: procurement of £133m PPP for the transfer, development and operation of campus student residences.
University: contentious employment matters, including allegations of breach of contract, wrongful and unfair dismissal, unlawful discrimination and whistleblowing.
University: procurement of an IT-based HR and payroll system and support services.
