Industry Leading Further Education Experience
Our team of education specialists works with further education institutions across the UK on a broad range of issues. As a full-service law firm with a focus on the education sector, we’re able to tailor our service offering to fit your needs. Our track record speaks for itself. We’re proud to have education as one of our firm’s longest standing key sectors, acting for over 100 further and higher education institutions.
With industry leading experience in the further education sector, our multi-disciplinary team of experts offers you straight forward market-leading advice to deal with a wide range of matters that affect colleges.
Led by Tom Long, our education specialists are able to tailor a service offering to fit your needs
“As the voice of our clients, we often talk to government and sector leaders to help shape policy and stay ahead in knowing the impact of sector trends and regulatory changes.
The breadth and depth of our experience means that we’re excellently-positioned to work with, whether it’s providing day-to-day advice or supporting your strategic aims, from minimising the impact of funding challenges to collaborating with higher education institutions, or understanding how the recently published FE White Paper and its initiatives will impact your institution and ways to implement them, we’d be delighted to work with you.”
How Our Further Education Experts Can Help
Our education experts can support your on a wide variety of issues including drafting, negotiating and reviewing collaboration agreements with third parties, advising on options for merger or ownership restructuring, advising on changes to constitution, advising on group reorganisations, including incorporation and removal of subsidiaries, drafting joint venture documentation, supporting the management of related companies and corporate groups, including spin outs, advising on governance structures and advising on disputes arising out of commercial agreements
Finance
We advise colleges across the spectrum of funding transactions, including for working capital, refinancing, property acquisition and campus development purposes. We can also help with negotiating grant agreements, especially from LEPs, working with and advising on documentation derived from the Loan Market Association, project managing financing transactions, working closely with finance and estate management teams
Employment & HR
Human resources requires expert legal knowledge, our team can guide you through the various areas such as general day to day HR queries, sickness absence and attendance management, discipline and grievance issues, performance management, provision of training for staff, policy and procedure reviews, contracts of employment, TUPE transfers, whistleblowing and unfair dismissal claims and employment Tribunals
Procurement
Our procurement specialists can advise on tender process and procurement strategy, including selection process and award criteria, advising on and drafting supplier agreements, assisting with preparing and negotiating grant funding, including negotiating security, advising on State Aid compliance and recovery procedures
Trusted Further Education Legal Advisors
Our Further Education Experts
David Browne
David Browne
Partner & Head of Employment LawPartner & Head of Employment Law Law
Why Choose Us?
We are sector specialists advising over 100 higher education institutions and further education colleges
We are a top 55 law firm, ranked as a leading law firm in The Legal 500 UK 2021 as well as being a member of the Association of Colleges
We have a dedicated multi-disciplinary education team with over 100 experts in multiple office across the UK
Key Projects
Dudley College
Institute of Technology
We have supported the College in its bid to establish an Institute of Technology from the very earliest stage of the development of the government’s initiative.
At that stage, the government had not settled on a way of delivering its objective and through the College we helped to shape the legal form that these institutes have taken. We have since helped the College establish the necessary legal framework to deliver the IoT which opens in September 2021.
College
Governing Document Review
Assisting a college with a comprehensive review of its governing documents, including amendments to its charitable scheme and advice on its standing orders and terms of reference for its committees.
College
Learning & Physical Needs Advice
Advising a college that has a learner with complex learning and physical needs, supported by an EHCP, on imposing conditions to manage the student’s mother’s conduct and drafting successful rebuttals of her allegations of discrimination on the grounds of disability and religion/belief.
Our Other Education Services
Higher Education Law
We have built a high profile in the HE sector, working closely with sector bodies on key sector issues and being actively involved in helping to shape the “universities of the future” through thought leadership and through our presence on and contribution to sector commissions, such as the Higher Education Commission and the Skills Commission.
Independent Schools
With industry leading experience in the education sector, our multi-disciplinary team of experts work as trusted advisors to help you succeed. We will support you through the myriad of legal challenges that schools face, so you can focus on pupil attainment.
Our Latest Further Education Updates
12 Apr
Education
HEIs telling it like it is – correcting false or misleading public statements
4 Mar
Education
Consultation on the OfS’s new free speech complaints scheme – our response
27 Feb
Education
University Of Bristol V Dr Robert Abrahart – An Analysis Of The High Court’s Judgment
12 Feb
Education
Holiday Pay – Where Are We Post-Brazel? A Guide For Schools
Our Further Education experts are here to answer any questions you might have
If you’d like to speak to a member of our team, please fill out the enquiry form. We will aim to reply to your query within 2 hours
Need to talk to someone sooner? You can call use at the number below