HY Education Solicitors

HY Education Solicitors is a boutique law firm dedicated exclusively to the education sector. Established in 2019 and authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority that same year, the firm was created with a clear and ambitious vision: to become the UK’s first and only specialist law firm focused solely on supporting schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs).

HY Education Solicitors is recognised as one of the country’s leading education law specialists, a position reflected in its inclusion in the 2026 edition of The Legal 500. The firm acts exclusively for education providers and advises MATs, single-academy trusts (SATs), independent and maintained schools across England. Its client base ranges from individual schools to large, sophisticated MATs overseeing more than 23 academies. The firm currently supports in excess of 550 schools and MATs nationally, making it one of the largest specialist education practices of its kind in the UK.

Unlike firms where education sits alongside other practice areas, HY Education Solicitors operates as the schools-only law firm®, a phrase the firm has formally trademarked. All of the firm’s lawyers work exclusively with education providers, giving them a depth of sector knowledge that allows them to support clients as long-term partners rather than transactional advisers. The team combines legal expertise with a detailed understanding of how schools and MATs operate in practice, including the regulatory, operational, financial, and governance pressures faced by senior leaders.

The firm advises across the full spectrum of legal issues affecting schools and MATs, from complex, high-value and strategic matters to day-to-day operational support. Its work includes MAT formation and re-structuring, mergers and growth projects, governance and constitutional matters, property and estates, and contentious litigation, including High Court judicial review proceedings. Alongside this, the firm provides ongoing advice on employment and HR, safeguarding, SEND, parental complaints, information governance, and regulatory compliance, supporting trust leaders and governing bodies at every stage of the school lifecycle.

HY Education Solicitors has also developed a suite of education-specific service offerings designed to respond to the evolving needs of the sector. These include:

• Education+, the firm’s flagship subscription-based legal service, providing schools and MATs with ongoing, responsive access to specialist education lawyers across all legal disciplines.

• DPO Service, a pioneering Data Protection Officer offering delivered by dedicated education-sector lawyers with deep expertise in information governance, compliance, and risk management.

• SAR Genie, a specialist service supporting schools and MATs with the efficient, compliant, and timely management of subject access requests.

• SEND Review and Challenge, a bespoke service supporting schools and MATs in ensuring that local authorities meet their statutory duties to secure appropriate provision and funding under Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

With a growing national footprint, a highly specialised legal team, and a clear strategic focus, HY Education Solicitors has established itself as a trusted partner to education leaders across England. The firm’s vision is to become a household name within the education sector, recognised for combining technical excellence with practical, sector-led advice tailored to the realities of modern school and trust leadership.