Education

Nick has specialised in employment law since qualifying as a solicitor and works exclusively with universities, further education colleges and academies. Nick leads Mills & Reeve’s higher education practice in the West Midlands and is head of Mills & Reeve’s further education group. Nick’s recent work has included advising a number of universities in relation to equal pay challenges; advising a university on the practical management of industrial action arising from a national pay dispute; advising a number of further education college groups on the organisation of staff within federations and using shared services; advising on a number of mergers between further education colleges; advising universities, further education colleges and academies on the removal of senior staff, including the use of university Statutes; advising various universities on employment issues arising from international collaborations; advising universities, further education colleges and academies on the practical management of reorganisations and compulsory redundancies; successfully defending complex Employment Tribunal claims, including those involving disability discrimination, race discrimination, whistleblowing and claims made by trade union representatives in relation to their status; advising on the conversion of over 140 schools to academies; advising on retirement and age discrimination; advising on the management and dismissal of staff with poor performance or long-term sickness.

Partner & Head of Education

Guv is a solicitor specialising in assisting parents of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN). She has been working within SEN law since 2014. Her team secures the provision of services to be funded by local authorities for children and young adults with additional needs by way of EHC plans. Guv assesses EHC plans and advises on their contents to ensure they are fit for purpose. If there are deficiencies within the plans, Guv can assist in challenging local authority decisions by way of mediation or SEND tribunal appeal. The types of services that Guv is able to secure for the children and young people that she represents include therapies such as physiotherapy, 1:1 teaching assistance and specialist placements. Guv has regularly secured independent specialist placements worth over £70,000 a year at the local authorities' expense by way of SEND appeal and through pre appeal negotiations. Guv conducts seminars informing parents of their legal rights in respect of EHC plans and how they can enforce them. She has links to local charities whom she regularly visits to assist parents of children with SEN. Guv regularly works with personal injury and clinical negligence solicitors, court of protection deputies and case managers, where, she is instructed on SEND appeals and pre appeal work achieving favourable outcomes within agreed fee budgets. Testimonial We entered into a tribunal against our local authority over an educational provision for our disabled son. We quickly realised that we needed legal representation. We had watched an online workshop hosted by Gurvinder Samra of Shoosmiths LLP and so enlisted her services. Gurvinder dealt with and arranged everything, Tribunal paperwork, expert witnesses, counsel and took charge of the case while maintaining an eye on the mounting fees keeping them at a reasonable level. We ultimately won the case, a result that without Gurvinder's input would have had a different outcome. N & H Tarratt

Richard is a barrister who has specialised in education law since 2001. His work covers litigation and governance matters including freedom of information and personal data. He is recognised for his work for HE and FE clients in disability discrimination and equality issues, under 18s, fitness to practise and other regulatory issues and judicial review. He also advises qualification bodies on their relationships with their regulators and equality issues.

Principal Associate