Gary Attle > Mills & Reeve LLP > Cambridge, England > Lawyer Profile

The education practice at Mills & Reeve LLP comprises a large team of multidisciplinary lawyers who are well-equipped to advise a range of universities and Oxbridge colleges on high-value and complex strategic and contentious matters spanning employment, regulatory compliance, freedom of speech, and commercial issues. The national team is jointly led by Cambridge-based lawyer Gary Attle, who has acted in a variety of high-profile contentious mandates under the Equality Act 2010 and is also a key contact for regulatory matters related to data protection and freedom of speech, and Martin Priestley, who practices from Leeds and is active across a range of high-value mergers, acquisitions, and procurements for higher education clients. Other key contacts in the team include Cambridge-based lawyers Sarah Seed, a higher education financing and banking specialist, Jens Henniker Heaton, an expert on student accommodation projects, and Poppy Short, who advises on a wide range of academic partnerships and arrangements.

Mills & Reeve LLP‘s education team stands out for its ability to advise large independent schools and multi-academy trusts on debt finance transactions, having assisted a number of schools and educational foundations on high-value private placements, and is also well-regarded for its advice on charity law matters as well as employment and safeguarding issues. Charity expert Neil Burton jointly leads the national education practice with Gary Attle and Martin Priestley. For financial matters, Sarah Seed is a key contact, while Richard Sykes is well-regarded for his understanding of sensitive student matters.