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.
We work with a diverse range of clients from across the Education Sector including:
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:
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.
