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Education

Browne Jacobson LLP is ‘ahead of the curve in terms of knowledge of the education sector, and able to translate changed policy and law into practical legal advice’; it is ‘really rooted in the sector, with a genuine passion for education that marks it out from other heavyweights in the field’. The ‘incredibly knowledgeable’ Mark Blois heads a ‘very commercial and astute’ team, which specialises in employment, governance, property and conversion matters.

Part of Eversheds LLP’s national education group, HR partner Nicola Bennison leads on student issues in the higher education and further education sector, and has recently advised on various pensions issues.

Mary Mackintosh at Freeth Cartwright LLP ‘has an excellent understanding of the HE environment’ through in-house experience, and heads a team providing property acquisition and development, procurement, landlord and tenant, and employment advice to clients such as Birmingham City, De Montfort, Nottingham and Nottingham Trent universities.

Hewitsons LLP’s practice includes commercial matters, from mergers to conversion to academy status; employment issues (equal pay and discrimination); and construction work. It acts for a number of Oxford and Cambridge colleges.

Health

Browne Jacobson LLP advises PCTs, foundation trusts, and other NHS trusts on a range of commercial matters, recently handling several TCS divestments of PCT provider-arm community services and also advising on the transition from PCTs/SHAs to GP consortia. Inquiries and investigations also feature; Nick Parsons has been instructed to advise one of the NHS bodies involved in the Mid-Staffs Inquiry.

Local government

A ‘truly one-stop shop’, Browne Jacobson LLP acts for 150 local authorities, several key local authority insurers, 12 fire services, and a series of registered social landlords, across transactions and litigation. Highlights of 2010 included advice on the regeneration of Loughborough town centre, and acting for Scape on a number of frameworks for construction, repair and maintenance, and design. The team is ‘robust, resilient and holistic in approach’.

Freeth Cartwright LLP has recently been active across judicial challenges, equal pay and discrimination issues, regeneration matters, waste disposal outsourcing, and leisure facility development projects. The firm advises councils from Surrey to Carlisle.

Eversheds LLP has a national team advising local authorities, and draws on expertise in the Nottingham office for employment, regeneration and development, planning and IP/IT matters.

Geldards LLP’s practice reflects the firm’s strength in property, with recent work including advising South Derbyshire District Council on land disposals, and EMDA on the redevelopment of Steetly Quarry. The firm also now collaborates with Kent County Council in the provision of legal services to other public sector bodies.

Weightmans LLP’s national practice is spearheaded by John Riddell, who has 20 years’ experience defending claims against public and police authorities, with Belinda Moore adding expertise in this area. Jim Byard and Gloria Ginvert focus on the defence of authorities against workplace disease claims. The firm also defended Leicester City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council against equal pay claims.

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