Bates Wells handles the full spectrum of education matters, advising higher education and further education institutions on employment matters, property, free speech, charity and governance as well as discrimination claims. The practice is led by Jean Tsang, who has a broad education practice and advises on governance, charity, mergers and safeguarding. Lucy Mclynn leads the employment department and advises further education clients on all aspects of employment law, while Simon Steeden advises student unions on governance and compliance. Matthew Smith has a particular focus on advising education clients on data protection and freedom of information work. The team is further supported by Mark Abbott.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is highly professional. They manage to treat every client personally and are attentive to each request. Their international expertise is outstanding, and the quality of their advice is excellent.’
‘I have been incredibly impressed with every aspect of the team. The quality, speed and consistency of advice given, and the team's clear top-level sector knowledge are particular highlights.’
‘This team is extremely responsive to our business needs and able to flex to our particular requirements. For example, we have had a recent matter which required parallel working on matters of charity law and democracy and the balance between these.’
‘The team we work with at Bates Wells is very responsive to our business needs. Mark Abbot, in particular, has strong customer relations skills and is able to translate legal advice into pragmatic operational guidance. He responds to any query in a timely fashion, with helpful advice to a range of colleagues within our work environment.’
- 'The level of expertise is extremely high.'
- 'The partners and associates we have worked with on matters relating to education funding and governance are consistently supportive and provide thorough advice. We have appreciated working with teams who understand our unique position in the sector.'
Key clients
- NUS Charity
- NUS UK
- University of Birmingham Guild of Students
- Kingston Students’ Union
- UCL Union
- Workers’ Educational Association
- Institut des Hautes Etudes Superieures
- Farnborough College of Technology
- Nottingham Trent Students’ Union
- Langdon College
- Trinity College London
- NCFE
Work highlights
Assisted NUS UK with a range of charity law and governance work, including significant governance reforms which were designed to (among other things) separate “England” from “UK” and empower nations and liberation groups to determine their own ways of working.
Advised the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES) – an advanced research institute in mathematics, theoretical physics and all related sciences – on successfully registering a UK charity.
Advised Trinity College London in a matter relating to the employment status of one of its consultants.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Jean Tsang
Other key lawyers
Lucy McLynn; Simon Steeden; Matthew Smith; Mark Abbott