Vicky Schollar > Blake Morgan LLP > Eastleigh, England > Lawyer Profile

Local government work is at the heart of Blake Morgan LLP‘s well-established public sector department, which is also reputed in the health and education sectors. Key contacts for the firm’s specialism in local authority leisure projects include Penny Rinta-Suksi, Rajiv Joshi and Edward McMullen. Rinta-Suksi leads the local government team and is recommended by clients as ‘a star in the leisure procurement field’, while Bruce Potter is head of the firm’s nationwide health and care practice. Educational lead Matthew Smith and Vicky Schollar specialise in contentious and non-contentious employment matters. Jennifer Sore, who is ‘outstanding in Highway Law’, is a primary contact for the firm’s local authority clients in the Thames Valley.

Catering to a base of national and international clients across the retail, education, and charity sectors, the Blake Morgan LLP employment department has vast expertise in providing HR legal support and managing employment tribunal proceedings. The team is well placed to deal with complex data protection issues for employers, with the interim head of employment in the south, Rajiv Joshi, contributing extensive experience in assisting businesses within the technology industry from the Thames Valley office. Southampton-based Tim Forer is known for his broad practice advising on contentious and non-contentious employment law matters, while senior associate Vicky Schollar focuses on restrictive covenants and TUPE transfers. Ron Burgess heads up the national employment department, and splits his time between the London and Cardiff offices.

Blake Morgan LLP‘s solid education offering targets both state and private schools as well as sector organisations and spans a range of charity, employment, and governance matters. The practice handles disciplinary investigations as well as serious safeguarding issues and is also active across staff structuring and pension matters, and it is also capable of handling school transfers as well as charity incorporations. Matthew Smith, who has acted in numerous employment tribunal cases, leads the team and often works with Southampton-based employment expert Vicky Schollar on matters with sensitive safeguarding aspects. Cardiff lawyer Trish D’Souza, who joined the team from Capital Law Limited in October 2022, is noted for her governance expertise.