A rare and exceptional role for an education solicitor with a specialism in academies and/or maintained schools ("AMS"). Here at VWV, we're looking to expand our thriving and profitable practice with a bright, pragmatic solicitor approaching qualification or in the early stages of their qualified career.

With education work being "core" to our firm's success, this is a chance to work at the very "engine" of the firm in a Chambers ranked Band 1 practice.

About us 

We're a Top 100, full-service UK law firm with over 700 employees. With 4 offices in London, Watford, Bristol and Birmingham, you'll be struck by our close-knit and friendly culture. We believe in integrity and authenticity- in each one of us being ourselves both in our interactions with each other as well as with our clients. With a reputation not just for the quality of our work, but also for the qualities of our people, we strive to recruit individuals who are proactive and passionate about what they do and able to demonstrate humour and humility in equal measure.

Our Regulatory Risk & Resolution practice 

Here at VWV, we have a specialist regulatory risk & resolution team - a team of litigators and non-contentious lawyers who guide our clients, in particular a range of schools, colleges, universities, charities and healthcare providers, through the regulatory challenges that they face.  Many of our clients are nationally renowned providers and much of our work is driven by legal and political developments in our key sectors, which makes for a constantly evolving and dynamic practice. Clients seek our services knowing that our specialist sector knowledge, coupled with our high service level standards, set us apart. Our work is recognised in the legal directories (we are Tier 1 for our practice with a number of leading individuals in the field) and by the sector press/associations.

Headed up by Tabitha Cave, (Partner) and band 1 ranked in Chambers for their Education (Schools) work, our team comprises 5 partners and 16 lawyers and is further strengthened by education experts, support staff, a knowledge advisor and an accountant. The team, as per the rest of the firm, works to a hybrid model of office and remote working.

The role 

Working closely with renowned barrister and partner, Miriam Carrion Benitez, who is our team lead for AMS, you'll be exposed to a wide variety of issues relating to regulatory framework and policy and will enjoy providing sound advice to clients, often being their first port of call in their time of need.  You'll have the opportunity to build long term, trusted relationships with our AMS clients through retainer work and will have the opportunity to progress over time to deal with more litigious issues alongside the team.

The team's typical caseload includes the following: complaints against AMS clients to regulators, formal internal complaints procedures, Equality Act discrimination claims, student discipline hearings, investigations, safeguarding, health and safety, SEN and disability, admissions appeals, serious incident reporting, educational negligence claims and judicial reviews.

About you

You will most likely be approaching qualification or in the early stages of your post-qualitied career and will have developed a keen interest in regulatory compliance within the education sector through a relevant seat or post qualified experience.  Whilst we'd like you to have gained specific exposure to education law from advising and representing educational institutions, we recognise that everyone's career journey is different, so if you've found your expertise to date has been broader than you'd hoped or you have only gained experience in acting for individuals, we'd still be interested to hear from you. For us, your enthusiasm is as important as your ability and experience.

Where will I be working? 

At VWV we have a truly unique and engaging culture that we hold dear. We work hard but we also love to have fun and we recognise that it's the social interaction between us that really shapes our culture. Whilst we operate a hybrid model of working, for this role we would ideally like you to be based in one of our office locations for at least part of the week. In this way, you'll benefit first-hand from our warm and friendly culture as well as facilitate cross referral opportunities from your colleagues in other teams. We are of course happy to discuss any specific requirements of hybrid working with candidates on an individual basis.

How to apply?

Whilst we're renowned for our transparent and welcoming culture, we know that making the next career move can be daunting. We've all been there! To help you to get more of a flavour for life at VWV and to find out what our own people say about us, we invite you to watch this short video on the right-hand side. If you feel ready to apply, then please click on the red "Apply Now" button at the foot of the advert.

Here at VWV, we recognise that each one of us is an individual. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. If you require any special adjustments to be made in order to be considered for this role, then please do call us (see contact details in the "How to Apply" section below), as we will be happy to do so.

If you have one or two questions on the role or firm before you feel happy to apply, please contact me, Jess Winters, Talent Acquisition Advisor, jwinters@vwv.co.uk or call me in complete confidence on 07827126914.

Recruitment Agencies

We're in a period of exclusive direct sourcing for this role and are not accepting applications from agencies. We politely request therefore that you do not send candidates or unnamed profiles through. Any named or anonymised profile or CV sent to us will be deemed an unsolicited approach and treated as a gift.