Senior Associate Education

Senior Associate - Employment (Education)

Vacancy type Experienced hires

Scheme Lawyer

Level Senior

Business area Business & Professional Risk

Duration Permanent

Hours Flexible

Location All UK regional offices

Reference number LD062617

Full time

Team Employment

Vacancy owner Linzi Durham

Join our employment education team consistently ranked Band One in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK to deliver pragmatic, solution-focused employment advice to schools, academies and other education sector clients.

This is an opportunity to be part of a highly regarded team of legal and HR specialists united by a clear purpose: helping education clients do what is fundamentally right for their pupils and their organisations.

• Advise schools and academies on the full range of employment law matters, with a deep understanding of the sector context in which they operate.
• Conduct employment tribunal advocacy, from directions and preliminary hearings through to full hearings.
• Prepare tribunal cases end-to-end, including claims/responses, witness statements, skeleton arguments and interlocutory applications.
• Draft contracts, policies and procedures tailored to the education sector.
• Advise on trade union matters, including policy negotiations, restructures, changes to terms and conditions, and industrial action.
• Advise on TUPE, including academy transfers and wider transfer projects.
• Provide day‑to‑day guidance on disciplinary and grievance processes, redundancy programmes, holiday pay, flexible working, and family‑related leave.

You will have experience in contentious and non‑contentious employment work within the education sector. With the ability to build strong relationships at all levels both with clients and colleagues, and are committed to delivering advice at the forefront of national best practice. You will share our dedication to the ongoing development of the firm's services to the education sector.

We offer a flexible and hybrid working model. Our comprehensive benefits package includes private medical insurance, pension contributions, an employee assistance programme, and a range of wellbeing initiatives. Enhanced parental leave is also available, reflecting our commitment to supporting you through every stage of your career and life.

Many of our people work flexibly in some way and we’re open to considering how we can accommodate flexible working arrangements alongside role requirements. If this is important to you, please talk to us about it during the recruitment process.

We celebrate diversity and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, social economic background or age.

We’re a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.