Education lawyers and solicitors at Keystone Law

Education law is highly specialist, and it is crucial that those in the sector remain abreast of any change and pre-empt risk. Exponential growth and increasing competition within the industry, combined with increasing and unprecedented regulation, alongside significant ongoing legal challenges mean that education institutions need more support than ever.

Our education law services

Our team of expert education solicitors provide legal advice on commercial matters, property, construction, procurement, intellectual property, research contracts, reputation management, safeguarding, student and employment issues. The team can support you in your operational needs and guide you through the opportunities and risks that you might be facing. Where appropriate, our dedicated teams of experts will work together to ensure that you have all bases covered.

Who do we advise?

Keystone’s team of education lawyers cater for a range of clients including public and private schools, colleges and universities, as well as individual teaching and support staff. We also have some specialist advisers to religious schools and colleges.

Why choose our education team?

We can provide legal support to a range of educational institutions, and our team understands the complexities of education law. Each member of the team has built up many years’ experience in the sector, equipping them with the knowledge needed to provide best-quality advice.

For further information or to discuss an education matter, please telephone 020 3319 3700 or click here to email us.

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Keynote

How will Labour’s plans to introduce VAT on school fees impact private schools?

Matheu Smith

1 August 2024

Keynote

The end of charitable status of private schools?

Geoffrey Davies

1 November 2023

View all Keynotes

Commercial and contractual matters
Commercial property, including commercial lettings and student residences
Charity law
Estates management
Construction and projects
Funding and project finance
Dispute resolution including property disputes
Student issues
Special educational needs and disabilities
Employment disputes and tribunal
Employment law advice and training
Immigration
Intellectual property
Spin outs
Research contracts
Outsourcing and procurement
Pension schemes
PPP and joint venture projects
Operational risk
Regulatory issues
Parental and student complaints (including to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for universities),

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Commercial

Acted for leading British universities in negotiations with HMRC to culminate new tax exemptions for academics in “spin-out” companies.
Advised a UK university on procurement strategy and frameworks for housing and teaching blocks as well as a sports institute.
Advised a major UK-based developer in respect of the financing of several major student accommodation development projects throughout the UK.
Acted for King’s College, London, for the negotiation of an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline to provide anti-doping testing for London 2012 Olympics.
Set up a joint venture between a UK student housing developer and an investment fund to invest £400m across Europe.

Construction

Acted on Tower Hamlets Schools Project (c. £70m) and Kirklees Schools PFI.
Represented a college on issues concerning works carried out on a project to design and build a new school and sporting facilities.
Drafted the construction-related documentation for the Building Schools for the Future and NHS Lift programmes.
Advised on structuring considerations for the National Star College in Cheltenham, in relation to new boarding houses with OJEU considerations.
Advised a construction company in connection with the Tower Hamlets Schools bundle PFI project.
Acted on a student accommodation project for Nottingham Trent University where Barclays Bank, the lender, was advancing £60m.
Advised the developer and negotiated the construction documentation for a privately financed development of university student accommodation.
Acted for Universities Super Annuation Scheme (the UK’s third-largest pension fund) as landlord in the pre-letting of Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes Shopping Centre, while being developed by London & Amsterdam Developments Limited.

Corporate

Advised university spinouts on start-ups, capital raising and IP exploitation issues.
Drafted multi-layer sponsorship agreements for an educational body.
Drafted terms and conditions for a leading educational provider.
Reviewed an independent school’s terms and conditions and operational policies.
Advised a leading toy manufacturer on the safety and branding aspects of educational toys.
Drafted agreement and terms and conditions relating to the operation of a private academy.
Advising on admission appeals in both the state and independent sector.
Managed communications between clients and a leading independent school in relation to pastoral issues.
Advised leading tutoring agency Ivy Education on a wide range of issues as “quasi in-house counsel”.

Charity Law

Successfully represented Cambridge Islamic College in a £5m tribunal appeal against the Charity Commission, which challenged the body’s power to direct a change of name
Acted for an independent school being hived off from a diocese into a new charitable company
Advised the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia on the option of their schools becoming academy schools.
Was the principal solicitor advising Ealing Abbey on the hive off of St Benedict’s School into a separate charitable company in compliance with The Carlisle Report.
Advised on the creation of School Companies under the Education Act 2002 as umbrella charities to enable schools to share costs and resources.
Advised a privately owned Roman Catholic school on its sale to a commercial education provider and in particular putting in place safeguards to satisfy canonical requirements to retain the status as a Roman Catholic school.
Advised a university on the amalgamation of its restricted trust assets
Advised on the creation and registration of New Schools Network, a charity supporting the establishment of free schools.

Advised a funder on a university accommodation project at Nottingham Trent (value c. £60m).
Advised a service provider in relation to the Kirklees Schools PFI project.

Intellectual Property

Acted for a well-respected legal professor who was based at the Legal Faculty at a leading University on copyright and contract law issues and internal University appeals procedures arising out of various unfounded plagiarism allegations.
Advised a leading London university on IP commercialisation with IP Group plc.
Advised a Russell Group university on subject access requests under the Data Protection Act.
Advised a leading UK research institute on intellectual property rights in a database of text messages.
Advised a research institute on copyright issues relating to a website.
Provided advice to HE (and other research and charitable institutions) on research collaboration agreements and intellectual property licence agreements. The agreements helped the HE bodies get their inventions out of the lab and into use in the real world.
Advised a leading academic on the deposit of research materials with the British Library.
Provided general strategic advice to Gateshead College on IP protection, and filing strategy in relation to obtaining registered IP protection.
Provided a variety of strategic IP advice to NCFE, including the filing of trade mark protection, the subsistence and licensing of copyright material and the creation and ownership of IP in material produced for courses and examinations.
Provided advice to The Royal Grammar School (Newcastle) on the protection of its key trademarks and filing and obtaining protection in the UK for its trade marks.
Advised Durham School on this prominent public school on the international franchising of its name and other IP rights to create schools in India and other locations.

Media

Completed reputation management work for a number of blue-chip schools such as Haileybury and Wellington College.

Please note: The experience list above features work carried out by lawyers who now work at Keystone Law however this work may have been completed prior to them joining the firm.