Eva Akins > Russell-Cooke LLP > Kingston upon Thames, England > Lawyer Profile
Russell-Cooke LLP Offices
Riverview House 20 Old Bridge Street Hampton Wick
KINGSTON UPON THAMES
KT1 4BU
England
- Firm Profile
- Go to...
Eva Akins
Work Department
Education
Position
Eva is a partner and Head of Education Law at Russell-Cooke.
She is an expert in cases involving special educational needs and disability (SEND), Equality Act claims, admissions, exclusions, complaints and school governance in the independent and maintained sector.
Identified as a leader in the field, Eva has specialist knowledge in neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, dyslexia and dyspraxia. She has a particular interest in cases involving ‘dual exceptionality’.
It is Eva’s personal experience of SEND and exclusion that fuels her passion for this area of law and informs her empathetic style of client care. Eva believes that the problem with trying to fit a ‘square peg’ child into the round hole of an education system is not that the hammering is hard work; rather you risk destroying the peg!
Eva’s role is focused on squaring the circle and making the education system more fit for purpose. Where school is not appropriate, she secures comprehensive highly individualised education otherwise than at school.
Memberships
- Education Law Association
- Understanding ADHD in Girls and Women (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2021)
Education
Read Law at The University of Westminster graduating with First Class Honours and completed her legal studies at the College of Law London.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Public sector > Education: individuals
(Next Generation Partners)Russell-Cooke LLP is equipped to handle a wide range of matters for neuro-divergence and parenting children with SEN, alongside other education related matters such as school admissions and exclusion appeals, complaints to the local authorities and securing interim education options and school transport. The children and education department is jointly headed by Eva Akins, the head of education law, and Sarah Richardson, the head of children law. The firm’s reach was extended through the arrivals of associate Erin Smart and of legal director Victoria Federico who joined from Shoosmiths LLP in July 2023.