Laura Partridge -Partner
Laura has been providing legal support and advice to schools and academies for over six years. Starting her career at a top 100 law firm, she was instrumental in growing the education team at that firm to be one of the largest and best respected in the Country.
Having gained considerable experience of working in a large law firm and seeing both the good and the bad of the legal profession, Laura left to establish her own firm with like-minded colleagues. Laura wanted to break the stereotype of law firms putting billing and firm politics ahead of client service. This inspired Laura to establish PHP Law allowing her to put into effect her ethos of placing the clients at the heart of everything she does.
Over the time that Laura has been practising in the sector she has worked with a number of the largest multi academy trusts in the Country advising on all aspects of the laws that affect trusts and schools. She has a particular specialism and expertise in the re-brokerage of academies and trust governance.
Laura is exceptionally well networked with contacts across all of the key organisations which influence and direct the education world including the Department for Education, the Education and Skills Funding Agency, the Charity Commission and local authorities.
Particular career highlights for Laura include:
Being the driving force behind the re-brokerage of the nine academies. Under Laura’s direction, all of the schools in the Trust were found new homes within four months of starting the process.
This was a very pressurised and high profile matter. Laura’s calm, supportive, efficient and hard-working approach allowed the team which had been parachuted in to wind up the Trust to concentrate on sorting out the financial, operational and educational mess. Laura would regularly be working sixty hour or longer weeks during the project spending much of the time away from home.
As a result of working on this matter, Laura and colleagues secured the legal work of two of the four Trusts that took schools and established a long term working relationship with the interim CEO who was appointed to wind up the Trust mentioned earlier.
Why should you care?
If you want a legal representative who works efficiently under the most extreme pressure and who will put in as many hours as it takes to get the job done, Laura is your person.
Drafting the amendments to the standard Articles of Association for Church of England trusts which are used by the majority of the Dioceses across the South West.
As well as demonstrating the knowledge and legal skills to draft legally robust documents, Laura’s ability to work with people was amply demonstrated on this matter by her being able to find positions acceptable to Dioceses and the Department for Education.
Why should you care?
It should perhaps be taken for granted that all legal representatives are technically able. Sadly, this is not always the case. Navigating the various interests of the parties involved and being able to put the agreed positions into a robust legal form to be scrutinised regularly by other legal representatives is, in our opinion, pretty good evidence that Laura has the required technical skills and experience.
Supporting a trust through an ESFA investigation and then advising the Trust on challenging the defective report issued by the ESFA. Preparing and issuing proceedings for judicial review of various decisions made by the ESFA in relation to the investigation and report.
Throughout what was an extremely stressful time for the leaders of the Trust, Laura made herself available at all times to provide guidance and support. This level of support led to a trust leader commenting that the level of service provided by Laura exceeded that which they had received from the top City firms in London.
Why should you care?
A level of service better than that provided by £500 an hour legal representative in London at a fraction of the cost, what more could you want?
Laura was instructed by a multi academy trust to advise on the outsourcing of its entire central operational function including estates, HR, finance and operations. The Trust’s preferred option was to appoint a publicly owned services company.
The project has involved complex procurement advice, interaction with the unions, governance issues, audit and compliance, employment matters and commercial contract support. It is worth close to £1 million per annum.
At every step, the project has faced challenges and concerns. Laura has worked with the Trust and other external advisors to find solutions to the issues raised whilst ensuring that the process is fully compliant with all legal and regulatory requirements.
Why should you care?
Every legal representative believes they are solution focused. Very few actually are. Laura will always look for a solution no matter how often she is told that it is not possible. You will never find Laura brings you an issue unless she brings solutions at the same time.
Amongst the most complex transactions undertaken by a multi academy trust was the creation of a wholly owned subsidiary of a trust to operate a leisure facility. The project involved Priority Schools Building Programme funding, charitable donations and trusts, Diocesan land, two leisure trusts, the District Council and the County Council, the ESFA as well as the Trustees.
Laura led the team which delivered this complex project pulling together lawyers with expertise in procurement, commercial contracts, property law, charities law and employment law. She co-ordinated the external advisors including leisure consultants and accountants as well as dealing with the legal representatives of the other parties.
The first phase of the leisure project was delivered on time with all the necessary consents in place and all parties having completed the required documents.
Why should you care?
A legal representative who can project manage a matter and make sure that everything is delivered on time and without surprises is worth their weight in gold. Laura could be using these skills on your project.
Laura has worked on numerous academy conversions. She also has considerable experience of PFI academy conversions. But even after six years of working to tight timescales and delivering academy conversions on time, a recent PFI academy conversion stands out.
The added complexities of a PFI conversion were taken to another level with the involvement of a Church of England Diocese. Five sets of lawyers had to be happy with the documentation, some of which had to be drafted completely from scratch as none of the people involved had dealt with a conversion of this type before. An added issue was that there was additional funding available for the Trust if a certain target date could be achieved.
Two weeks before the required conversion date, it was looking like it might be possible to complete on time. Laura continued to drive the project forward, co-ordinating the various parties involved. With three days to go a significant issue was raised by the Diocese’s lawyers. At this point, conversion looked impossible. Even the Trust had given up hope. But after a rallying call from Laura that we should not give up until it was absolutely impossible to complete and following numerous telephone calls co-ordinated by Laura from lay-bys across Devon and Cornwall, the school converted on the target date.
Why should you care?
It can be very easy to hit a problem and give up. If you want someone on your team with a never say die attitude, Laura is your person.
