The education team at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP is well-regarded for advising a broad range of higher and further education clients. The department is co-led by Daff Richardson in Oxford and Hilary Aldred in Cambridge. Richardson’s practice covers employment issues, governance and student matters, while Aldred’s specialist employment practice emphasises contentious and non-contentious work. Pat Saini heads the firm’s immigration team, advising on student visas, business restructuring and risk management. Anna Frankum leads the IP, IT and commercial team and assists on compliance with consumer and data protection and on contracts between institutions. Other key team members are managing associates Sophie Whitbread, who is adept in a range of employment matters, and Sam Rose who frequently assists charities and higher education institutions.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Hilary Aldred is very knowledgeable and sensible, very committed to clients.'
- 'The team has strength in depth, with everyone knowing the law back to front. Particular strengths are the client base and experience, which is second to none.'
- 'There is a breadth of knowledge within the team which means we can get answers to all our questions quickly. It is a talented team and they are friendly and easy to work with.'
- 'Anna Frankum - always knows who to get involved to help us and offers realistic timeframes and costs for the work done. What is really unusual, in my experience, is that she is very responsive. Hilary Aldred - very knowledgeable and pragmatic. She communicates in a way that makes it easy for non-specialists to understand what the situation is and how to deal with it.'
- 'Sophie Whitbread is technically excellent, whilst also being very good at explaining complex matters in a comprehensible way for non-legal clients. She is extremely responsive and calm under pressure.'
Key clients
- Churchill College, Cambridge
- Keble College, Oxford
- SCL Education
- St Catherine’s College
- Christ Church, Oxford
- Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
- Florida State University
- GGE
- Green Templeton College, Oxford
- ICMP Management Limited
- Istituto Marangoni
- Jesus College, Oxford
- Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
- Navitas
- Oxford International Education Group
- Pembroke College, Oxford
- Regents University
- Royal Agricultural University
- S P Jain School of Management
- Somerville College, Oxford
- St Anne’s College, Oxford
- St Mary’s University, Twickenham
- St Mary’s University, Twickenham
- Stanford University
- The Institute of Leadership and Management
- Unifrog Education Ltd
- University of Exeter
Work highlights
- Advising the American Institute for Foreign Study (one of the world’s largest cultural exchange organisations) on a wide range of legal matters including real estate and data and information law matters.
- Advising an Oxbridge college client in relation a complex and sensitive grievance matter
- Advising the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on its brand protection, including managing its trade marks, and on data protection issues.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Daff Richardson, Hilary Aldred