Ian Deakin > Browne Jacobson LLP > Manchester, England > Lawyer Profile

Based in Manchester, Browne Jacobson LLP provides a wide offering to education sector clients, covering governance issues, strategic advice, employment matters, safeguarding issues as well as special educational needs. The team is adept in supporting their diverse client portfolio in complex, high-profile and media-sensitive issues. Education expert Dai Durbridge heads up the dedicated group and is specialised in safeguarding and data protection.While Ian Deakin works with academies, schools and colleges on the full spectrum of employment law issues from day-to-day advice through to complex employment tribunal claims and strategic matters, associate Tom Briant-Evans focuses on academy conversions, transfers and re-brokerages, governance matters and commercial agreements.

Browne Jacobson LLP advises a range of public and private clients on contentious and non-contentious, including comprehensive in-house training and informative webinars. Recent work highlights has seen the team represent businesses in unfair dismissal, disability and unequal pay Employment Tribunal claims, as well as conducting detailed IR35 audits and large TUPE transfer mandates. Team head Ian Deakin has a practice that spans beyond the North West and is principally noted for his litigation expertise alongside his specialism in collective redundancy matters and IR35 issues. Miriam Onwochei-Garcia has worked closely with the firm’s Education department to support its bespoke HR service offering, alongside counselling clients on the drafting and negotiation of contracts and reviewing employee terms and conditions. Lee Ashwood joined the firm in May 2023 from Freeths LLP, while Nicola Hollick left the practice to join Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP in 2022.