Further education and skills

Our specialist lawyers have a deep understanding of the industry. We stay close to developments and react quickly and proactively to ensure you receive a leading legal service.

Our extensive further education sector experience has been built since the incorporation of FE Colleges in 1993.  Examples include:

• Advising numerous colleges on their mergers and restructuring, including extensive due diligence and post-merger integration advice.
• Regulatory compliance and helping colleges challenge the findings of their regulatory reviews. 
• Advising on novel corporate structures, setting up subsidiaries for commercial activities and joint ventures.
• Providing a range of support to colleges on property matters, including campus redevelopment, acquisitions, transfers and sales.
• Providing strategic and practical advice on a range of areas such as finance and banking, employment and pensions, equality and immigration, procurement, constitutional and regulatory issues, commercial and charity law, litigation and dispute resolution.
• Advising colleges on governance changes, including restructuring governing bodies to make them more nimble.
• Setting up and implementing new apprenticeship companies and structures.
• Providing training for college staff on matters such as data protection, compliance and employment law obligations, risk management and individual and corporate liability for health and safety.
• Training governors on issues such as duties, governance issues and equality legislation.
• Advising colleges and providing training to governors in respect of the insolvency regime under the Technical and Further Education Act 2017.

We act for colleges and sector bodies across the UK. Examples include:

• Association of Colleges
• The Manchester College (LTE Group)
• Bolton College
• Bury College
• Oldham College
• South & City College Birmingham
• South Thames Colleges Group
• East Coast College
• Runshaw College
• Warrington & Vale Royal College

Education blog: bringing together the latest public, private and charity law updates for the education sector.