Hill Dickinson LLP is recognised for its strength in education matters, with a well-established team advising a large client base of schools, universities and academies. The practice is led by Luke Green, Joe Orme-Paul and Kerstie Skeaping, whose experience spans employment and trade union law in schools and regulatory, transactional and contentious work. Split between employment and non-employment teams, the wider team brings together advisory support and transactional expertise to support a variety of academies and trusts. Catherine Burns has extensive property expertise supporting clients in Free School portfolio work, while Liam Ellwood provides legal advice across the full range of education matters, including disputes and judicial review claims.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- The team at Hill Dickinson is exceptional. The key differentiator compared to other firms I have worked with in the past is the way they work in partnership with our Trust, positioning themselves as an extension of our internal team, rather than an external service provider. They consistently take a solution-focused approach, supporting us to understand risks and challenges but, crucially, helping us find the best way to manage them. They always remain focused on the outcomes we are trying to achieve and, having taken the time to fully understand the Trust and our vision/values, provide advice that is relevant to our context and pragmatic. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
- Liam Ellwood (Associate) is emerging as a trusted adviser to our schools, consistently delivering timely, well-judged guidance on a range of issues. His development within the team mirrors the growing demands of our schools, with Liam contributing to increased capacity and enhanced responsiveness across the Hill Dickinson Education Team’s legal support framework.
Key clients
- Dixons Academies Trust
- University of Liverpool
- The Heath Family (North West)
- University of Leicester
- Wade Deacon Trust
- University of Salford
- University of Liverpool
- Star Academies
- St David’s College, Llandudno
- Methodist Academies and Schools Trust
- University of Chester
- Epworth Education Trust
Work highlights
Instructed on a school admissions dispute, successfully challenging a local authority’s use of fair access powers and proposed direction to admit, on the basis that statutory requirements had not been met before the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.
Instructed on consolidated judicial review proceedings concerning an IRP decision and academy trust responsibilities, addressing key issues on SEN expert requests, decision‑making duties and compliance with the public sector equality duty.
Assisted on the creation of a new Church of England multi-academy trust and the group conversion of 4 schools (1 secondary and three primary schools).
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Luke Green; Joe Orme-Paul; Kerstie Skeaping
Other key lawyers
Catherine Burns; Liam Ellwood