Matthew Smith > Blake Morgan LLP > Cardiff, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

Well-versed at handling ‘all aspects of contemporary labour requirements’, the partner-led team at Blake Morgan LLP has an excellent reputation among both private and public sector entities for both contentious and non-contentious work. As well as its strong legal and commercial expertise, the team also has deep industry expertise in core targeted sectors, including healthcare, an area that Paula Kathrens , who is appreciated for her ‘great client skills’, has developed a market-leading reputation for internal disciplinary proceedings involving doctors in NHS Wales. Matthew Smith  has the ability to deliver ‘an unusually business savvy level of service’ across a range of contentious matters, including as it relates to unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and whistleblowing cases. Joanne Davies  heads up the team and provides ‘commercial, efficient and client focused’ advice to private and public sector clients on employment issues associated with their transactional work, including as it relates to business acquisitions and subsequent reorganisations and integration.

Blake Morgan LLP‘s education team is instructed by Oxford colleges as well as universities and FE colleges across the country to advise on a wide range of matters and stands out for its deep knowledge of regulatory and student-related issues. Under the leadership of Cardiff-based practice head and employment specialist Matthew Smith, the team has advised education providers on registration and accreditation processes and acted in standout contentious matters related to employee grievances and student complaints. Also in Cardiff, Joanna Rees has advised on major campus developments, and Trish D’Souza, who arrived from Capital Law Limited in October 2022, is a key contact for contentious work and investigations. Oxford-based lawyers Richard Wade, a procurement expert, and John Deech, who advises on property issues, are further names to note.

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.