Ward Hadaway Advises on 50 Academy Conversions

Leading commercial law firm Ward Hadaway has advised 50 schools across the country on their changes in status over the past 12 months.

The transactions, which include schools that have converted to become academies, and existing academies that were transferred from one trust to another, were handled by Ward Hadaway’s 24-strong Education team led by Tim Care, across the firm’s Commercial, Employment and Property departments.

Together the team negotiated on all of the legal documentation for each of the academies, which also included advising on funding arrangements, employment and property and land issues.

Tim Care, a Partner in the Education team at Ward Hadaway, said: “We are delighted to have been able to help the staff and governors of 50 schools through the academy process. We pride ourselves on having worked for organisations across the country, in such places as Staffordshire, the Wirral, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East.

“Each transaction comes with its own challenges and opportunities and we have therefore worked closely with all parties involved to ensure each project was delivered on time and within budget. We wish all of the schools and academies that we have supported and those we continue to support all the best for the future.”

The volume of work which is up a third on 2017 has resulted in several new appointments for the team, including solicitors Tom Shears, Francesca Hawker and Alex Clark.

Speaking about the team’s continued growth, Tim said: “We anticipate completing on another 10 schools during spring, and a number of our academy trust clients have ambitious expansion plans, so we expect to be busy throughout the year.”

Tim Care and Education team Partners Graham Vials and Frank Suttie will be on hand to offer advice to those attending this year’s SCHOOLS NorthEast Academies Conference 2019 at St James’ Park, Newcastle on Thursday (January 31^st)

Tim said: “We are really looking forward to attending this year’s SCHOOLS NorthEast Academies Conference to hear about the latest insights within the sector and meet the region’s key decision-makers in education.”

For more information about how Ward Hadaway’s Education team can help your school become an academy, please call Tim Care on 0191 204 4224 or visit www.wardhadaway.com

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