HY Education Solicitors

Corporate, Commercial, Real Estate and Employment

Director

David is a Director, Solicitor & Co-founder of HY Education Solicitors and has worked with schools for over a decade.   David contributes to the strategic direction and development of the firm. This includes the creation and design of HYE’s products and services, including:

Education+, a comprehensive legal advice service for schools covering all manner of legal issues and providing schools with access to specialist advice on a subscription model basis SAR Genie, a service that removes the burden of responding to subject access requests and ensures schools are handling such requests in a compliant and timely manner

David started his career in HR before qualifying as a solicitor. He therefore has extensive experience in the field of employment law, both as a strategic HR practitioner and then latterly as a solicitor.

David advises schools, academies and multi-academy trusts on complex employment law matters arising from large-scale transformational projects. His work includes leading restructures involving collective consultation, often across multiple recognised trade unions, and managing the employment aspects of significant organisational change within the education sector. He has extensive experience of large TUPE transfers connected with academisation, re-brokerage, outsourcing and service insourcing. He is regularly instructed on complex employee relations matters, including  senior leadership disputes and sensitive workforce challenges. He also advises boards and senior leaders on the negotiation and delivery of senior-level exits.

Beyond employment law, David oversees and is skilled in all manner of non-contentious work, including:

Commercial law, which includes advising clients on public procurement requirements, PFI arrangements, drafting and negotiating supply and other commercial agreements which have been specifically tailored to the needs of educational institutions and specialist agreements that are only associated with the education sector such as Lettings, Joint Use Agreements, Grant Funding and Commercial Transfer Agreements. Corporate law and academisation, including the establishment, disposal, merger and conversion of schools to academies and the establishment of independent schools either as standalone companies/charities, or via the creation of group structures within MATs. David has worked on the re-brokerage of academies to other trusts as an alternative to closure and negotiated high value pension fund deficit matters directly with the DfE Land and property, which includes navigating the complexities associated with public and private land and the unique relationships between schools, the Secretary of State for Education, the Local Authority and religious authorities. David has worked on the opening of Free Schools, negotiating the land arrangements directly with the DfE or Local Authorities, including agreements for lease, licencing, leasing and legal charges. This has incorporated reviewing and implementing the requirements from section 106 agreements and the establishment of private early years provision within MAT structures.