Daff Richardson > Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP > Oxford, England > Lawyer Profile

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP‘s cross disciplinary team has deep expertise advising clients in the public sector, primarily acting for higher education institutions and independent schools. Its deep bench includes Reading-based school sector expert Gemma Woodhouse as well as Oxford-based education group co-head Daff Richardson, whose experience in employment law enables her to engage with the often sensitive issues involved in student complaints and employment disciplinary matters. Collaboration with the firm’s wider departments means the team is well-placed to take on employment, immigration, corporate, commercial and IP-related mandates.

Daff Richardson  and Eugene Wojciechowski lead the employment team at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, a local practice with an international reach which predominantly advises clients in social housing, education, tech, life sciences, financial services and construction and is highly active in boardroom disputes and other litigation. Chris Syder is ‘a superb tactician with a big heart‘  who resolves workplace issues, including through mediation. Tech companies rely on Gemma Woodhouse for advice on contentious and non-contentious matters, as well as discrimination matters.

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP‘s team is led by ‘enormously experienced’ Oxford-based Daff Richardson, who specialises in employment issues; she also co-leads the education sector group. Reading-based Gemma Woodhouse also supports on employment matters for charities clients.

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP works largely with Cambridge, Oxford and other Russell Group universities on employment, real estate and immigration matters. Practice leaders Hilary Aldred and Daff Richardson handle Cambridge and Oxford respectively, with Aldred specialising in contentious and non-contentious matters including public law, and Richardson focusing on student complaints and disciplinary matters. Pat Saini focuses on immigration work, advising on sponsorship, student visas and the impact of Brexit and the pandemic on international students. Associate Sophie Whitbread has been described as ‘a future leader in this area of law.’

Oxford-based Daff Richardson and Cambridge-based Hilary Aldred co-head the department at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP that is particularly well-known for its legacy work with various local and national charities. It is well-placed to advise on the full array of legal issues and also provides specialist advice to grant making charities. It is skilled at advising on the creation of philanthropic structures as well as delivering a wide range of guidance to exempt, excepted and registered charities on governance, regulatory and charity issues.