Barney Northover > VWV > Bristol, England > Lawyer Profile
VWV Offices
NARROW QUAY HOUSE, NARROW QUAY
BRISTOL
BS1 4QA
England
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Barney Northover
Work Department
Education
Position
Partner
Career
With 17 years’ experience at VWV advising independent schools and charities on their governance, constitutional review, strategic projects and charity law, Barney is ideally placed to assist you and your school. He has developed a special interest and expertise in advising schools on strategy and structural change including charity mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and collaborations.
Meeting Your Needs
Barney understands the governors’ perspective in challenging situations, having been a governor of three schools. He can guide you through the traps and pitfalls and give you the confidence needed to deal with challenging situations and to take difficult decisions in the best interests of your school.
What Others Say
Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 both recommend Barney as a key individual within the ‘very commercial’ team who is ‘highly esteemed for his charity expertise’. The directories quote clients who say that he is ‘”genuine strategic thinker’ who ‘offers calm, practical advice at times when everyone is under immense pressure’ and is ‘technically very capable and an excellent presence in meetings”.
Memberships
Barney is a member of the Charity Law Association.
Lawyer Rankings
South West > Public sector > Education
VWV ’s ‘market-leading’ Bristol team acts for academies, multi-academy trusts, independent schools and universities on a range of strategic and operational matters, including work in anticipation of large-scale political and legislative shifts. The unit is also well-known in the market for schools transactions, spanning sales, purchases, and charity mergers. Barney Northover and Chloe Brunton head up the team from the firm’s Bristol office. Simon Bevan is well versed in employment and discrimination law matters, while Tabitha Cave leads on safeguarding for the firm. Chloe Brunton, Con Alexander and Naseem Nabi are additionally noted for their capabilities.
London > Public sector > Education: schools
(Leading individuals)The education team at VWV stands out for its strategic and operational expertise and is widely considered a ‘market leader in the independent schools sector’. The team is trusted to assist with high-value projects, including major school acquisitions and sales, restructuring matters, and academy trust formations. Clients also frequently instruct the team, which has strong relationships with major sector organisations and regulators, to advise on regulatory matters in the context of safeguarding and equality issues. Barney Northover, who has advised independent schools on some of the most significant mergers and governance matters in the sector, co-leads the practice from Bristol with Chloe Brunton, who provides advice to academies and MATs on conversions and reorganisations. Also in Bristol, Simon Bevan continues to be highly regarded for his expertise across the spectrum of employment and discrimination matters. Alice Reeve, who divides her time between Bristol and Birmingham, has advised on major safeguarding matters and provided employment advice in the context of industrial action, and London-based lawyer Yvonne Spencer is a key contact for complex regulatory matters involving parental claims and complaints.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Public sector > Education