Education Solicitors & Education Law

We understand inside-out the particular needs of educational institutions and how much they differ from most commercial enterprises. This in-depth knowledge of the sector, combined with the range of expert legal services we offer, means we now act on behalf of a wide range of institutions up and down the country.

We know that there is a huge range of legal issues that can arise in a school or college and we have specialists who can take the stress and complication out of each and every one.

If you would like to speak to our solicitors, who are based in Leeds, Sheffield and York, simply call 0333 323 5292 or complete the online enquiry form on the side or bottom of the page.

Specialist legal support for Schools & Academies

We appreciate that schools and academies are complex organisations and operate within a strict regulatory regime.  The expectations placed upon schools are huge and the legal issues affecting schools are diverse.

Here to help

Our role is to be able to provide you with all the legal support you need “under one roof”.  Our education team comprises solicitors with a diverse range of specialisms so that no matter what legal issue your school has, we will likely be able to provide you with the advice you need through our education team.

Our solicitors have a reputation for being approachable and providing practical and commercially sensitive advice.

Value for money

We’re well aware of the budget constraints of many schools and the need to get maximum value for money, and with this in mind we have a range of pricing options including retainer packages and capped fees and fixed fee arrangements for certain kinds of work.

Call one of our education law specialists to discuss fee options on 0333 323 529.

Retainer Packages for Schools and Academy Trusts

We can put together a bespoke retainer package for you either as a fixed fee package with monthly payments or a “pay as you go” package which means that fees are only charged when you require our support.

Giving you support

Below are some examples of the legal support we can provide for schools and academies:

• children issues: exclusions (including advising and representing schools and academy trusts at independent review panels), admissions (including appeals); where children are affected by parental disputes; shared custody; safeguarding; taking children out of school;

• governance matters: amending governing documents and funding agreements; making significant changes to an academy trust; trustee training and general governance advice for trustees, governors and local governing bodies;

• property related issues including rights of way, boundaries and boundary disputes, environmental matters, trespass, planning matters, statutory transfers under the School Standards and Framework Act;

• GDPR issues and training; Freedom of Information requests, disclosure of school records, modern slavery statements; dealing with complaints;

• employment advice: employment retainer available through our Augment; TUPE advice, dealing with Unions, settlement packages, tribunals;

• commercial matters: disputes and issues arising with suppliers, negotiations on contracts, any litigation, the setting up of trading companies and for any fraud related issues;

• media related issues: social media, reputational issues, and issues with your local community;

• intellectual property: registering a trademark or preventing other institutions using the same name;

• debt collection. Please see our separate information sheet on debt collection attached;

• charity law advice: advising on charitable objects, charitable trading and trading subsidiaries; dealing with the Charity Commission; advising on educational trusts; obtaining trust modification orders; school closures and section 554 Orders;

• immigration law;

• tax issues for educational institutions.

We are a leading firm for ecclesiastical and charity law and can provide specific advice for Church of England schools and academies, and on charity law and trust matters

The team

We aim to make working with our solicitors a stress-free experience that gets results every time.

We achieve this by combining our experience and expertise with a straightforward approach to our work – we pride ourselves on our communication skills (you won’t hear any legal jargon from us) and our ability to simply get things done.

Most of our clients find that their initial expectations are surpassed and, as a result, we often build long-term relationships with those in the education sector, providing a full range of legal services to them over many years.