Education: individuals

My areas of specialism are mental capacity, education and public law. I work with individuals who are unable to make decisions on important aspects of their lives. This can mean their care, residence or contact with their family members or friends. In addition, I work with individuals who are deprived of their liberty in care homes or hospitals as well as family members who seek representation in these disputes. In my education work, I help parents and young people facing disputes with education providers. This includes special educational needs, exclusion, admission and policy challenges. I also advise clients with their challenges to schools, colleges and local authorities. In my public law work, I challenge decisions made by public bodies which may be unlawful or be breaching an individuals’ human rights. These public bodies include local authorities, funding bodies and central government.

Simon is a Partner and Head of Education at Doyle Clayton. His clients include schools, multi-academy trusts and further education colleges. He also acts for individuals including Heads, Deputy Heads, Bursars and Professors. Simon advises on all employment law issues and education matters involving safeguarding and pastoral care. He is a solicitor advocate. He has appeared in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in the education case, Duncombe -v- DCSF.

Partner and Head of Education Law. Karen mainly acts for individuals although has also had experience of acting for local authorities and schools. Her specialism is judicial review cases, with a particular focus upon education law and community care law judicial reviews. Karen has acted in many leading education law judicial review cases in the High Court and Court of Appeal, concerning vulnerable children. Instructions are also regularly received from parents of children attending independent schools. These instructions often relate to safeguarding and exclusion matters within the independent sector. Karen’s main focus is acting for vulnerable children and adults. This work has seen her acting for a number of families in relation to special educational needs issues during childhood right through to Court of Protection matters in adulthood. It has also seen her acting in challenges against a wide variety of public bodies in addition to local authorities, such as CCGs and Chief Constables. Karen has also acted in a number of cases concerning breaches under the Human Rights Act 1998 and discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. She has secured favourable financial settlements for clients in a number of these cases. Karen has also recently acted in a case against a police force concerning breaches under the Human Rights Act 1998 in a claim for damages connected with information on an Enhanced DBS Certificate. She has experience of representing a number of clients in relation to what appears on their Enhanced DBS Certificates. As well as providing representation in relation to higher court cases, Karen regularly represents clients in relation to SEN Tribunal cases, admission appeals and exclusion appeals. She is also regularly instructed in relation to disputes about school transport which is a particularly difficult area with a number of public sectors cuts to transport budgets. Karen’s interest in transport cases stems from acting for the claimant in October 2000. Since that time, she has helped many parents secure suitable transport arrangements for children with special educational needs.

Partner, Education & Public Law Solicitor

Eva is a partner and Head of Education Law at Russell-Cooke. She is an expert in cases involving special educational needs and disability (SEND), Equality Act claims, admissions, exclusions, complaints and school governance in the independent and maintained sector. Identified as a leader in the field, Eva has specialist knowledge in neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, dyslexia and dyspraxia. She has a particular interest in cases involving ‘dual exceptionality’. It is Eva's personal experience of SEND and exclusion that fuels her passion for this area of law and informs her empathetic style of client care. Eva believes that the problem with trying to fit a ‘square peg’ child into the round hole of an education system is not that the hammering is hard work; rather you risk destroying the peg! Eva’s role is focused on squaring the circle and making the education system more fit for purpose.  Where school is not appropriate, she secures comprehensive highly individualised education otherwise than at school.  

Senior Associate

Salise Dourmoush, Senior Associate, has over 10 years’ experience in the legal field and 6 years with a specialist practice in SEN. Salise has worked on behalf of parents at a leading Appellant City Law Firm and on behalf of local authorities as their in-house SEN and Education Lead. This has provided her with 3-dimensional understanding of the field and an enhanced approach to her practice. Salise uses this experience to assist children and young people with SEN to achieve their best possible outcomes in their education and future lives. During her career, Salise has developed a jargon-free, practical, and collaborative approach, to try and achieve the best results for her clients as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible. Salise is an experienced advocate and holds many training sessions for those wanting to learn about SEN Tribunal processes and final hearings. She is a member of the Education Law Association. Salise is also bi-lingual and can speak fluent Turkish.