Finding solutions to clients’ legal problems requires technical excellence, practical experience, commercial awareness… and the ability to communicate it all clearly.
A very high level of legal expertise is essential, but it is not enough on its own. Our clients also expect us to be embedded in their sectors, to understand the challenges they face, and to offer strategic advice that takes them closer to their commercial goals.
Finding solutions to clients’ legal problems requires technical excellence, practical experience, commercial awareness… and the ability to communicate it all clearly.
A very high level of legal expertise is essential, but it is not enough on its own. Our clients also expect us to be embedded in their sectors, to understand the challenges they face, and to offer strategic advice that takes them closer to their commercial goals.
Education We help organisations throughout the education sector to maximise their opportunities, overcome challenges, and minimise potentially damaging risks.
“The experience and depth of knowledge Shepherd and Wedderburn has is extremely reassuring.”
Chambers (2025)
Our clients include universities, further education colleges, independent schools and other linked bodies including representative groups – and we share their priorities of excellence, innovation and collaboration. In a competitive and financially challenging environment, we help them to protect their interests, fully exploit opportunities, and resolve disputes.
A few typical examples:
Construction
Whether the new building’s purpose is accommodation, teaching or anything else, these are large projects which can have real benefits – not only by improving the student experience. Various legal structures are available, each with different advantages and risks, so it’s essential to make informed decisions right at the start of the project.
Real Estate
Land and buildings, including purpose-built student accommodation, are key to the successful operation of education bodies. We support those clients with all aspects of their real estate holdings, including purchase, management, leasing and sale.
Innovation
Any organisation that carries out research needs to ensure that this investment is appropriately rewarded when it produces commercially significant results. We help our clients to ensure that their intellectual property is properly protected.
Immigration
Many educational bodies have an international outlook. We provide advice and support with all the immigration and visa issues that come with having a worldwide footprint.
Governance
Falling foul of the regulatory rules – which can be extensive and complex, especially for charities – can have serious consequences both financially and reputationally. We help to prevent that from happening, and to resolve disputes when they arise. We review existing governance structures and advise on revisions that enable efficiencies to be made.
Employment
Academic and non-academic staff are critical to delivering an educational institution’s mission, and the sector’s employment models and practices bring unique challenges and opportunities. We use our long-standing experience of the nuances of managing people within an academic environment to help our clients to be practical, effective and legally compliant managers.
Our expertise also includes:
Charity law
Pensions
Public Sector Equality Duties
The Student Contract and experience
Human rights
Freedom of Information
Data Protection
Statutory powers, vires and remit
Constitutional, governance and best practice
Judicial review and legal challenges
Commercial and other disputes
Land and property transactions, including planning and student accommodation
Procurement
Intellectual Property
Commercial contracts, spin-outs, acquisitions and disposals
Tax
Health and Safety
Funding, including legacies, donor agreements and structures
The new Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (also known as Martyn’s Law) will have implications for many events and premises, especially those that can host more than 800 people.