Leading legal advisors to education institutions

Being recognised by the judges as leading legal advisors to education institutions, especially against strong competition, is a reflection of years of investment in building a team of people who simply love what they do.

Focused on, and passionate about, education, every member of our 20-plus team is dedicated to education work. Our solicitors work exclusively for education establishments, drawing together legal specialists in charities, corporate, commercial, construction, data protection, education, employment, governance, international, property, regulatory and trust law.

The firm says it can get to the heart of the issue quickly and make a crucial difference for our clients.

Kristine Scott, the team’s head, says: “We work with 25 per cent of the independent schools in England and are trusted to support them on sensitive and ground-breaking issues, establishing legal precedents for schools in course of our work.”

For instance, as one of its clients took their first steps into the international education market, the firm helped them to maximise the opportunity by collaborating with a global international fund and identifying the legal, political and commercial risks of the partnership.

Nicolas Groffman, Head of International, says: “As a Mandarin speaker, I was able to conduct the due diligence personally reducing the time taken and costs for our client. Our approach was innovative, safeguarded our client’s reputation at home and abroad, and facilitated their strategy to provide first class education to their students.”

The team’s senior corporate lawyer Kate Hickey, who led on this deal, says: “We were delighted that the investment was successful in securing the future of the school. It was a complex process, working within a tight time frame, but having the range of specialist legal skills within our team and the relationships with sector bodies, enabled us to provide an all-round service.

“Not only did we contribute corporate skills, but also in-depth educational expertise and experience, so our client had the legal and commercial support they needed.”

The team is always looking ahead to anticipate issues which will concern schools and colleges in the future. Kristine adds: “At our annual update for schools conference in October, there were three clear concerns being expressed by everyone; affordability, issues arising from Brexit, and the proposed increase to teachers’ pension contributions.”

Kristine concludes: “Do get in touch with us on these or any other issues and challenges you are facing. Please mail [email protected] or call me on 07725 242991.