We’re a national law firm with a local reach. Our philosophy is ‘Expert Hand, Human Touch’ – something you’ll find in the way we work with our clients and how we support our teams. But, we’re more than just a law firm – we’re a team, working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life’s ups and downs.

Whichever team you join, working here you’ll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment. We’ll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things, and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

The work we do has been recognised in the awards we’ve won. We’re committed to being even better, and our awards help to show we’re on the right track.

We recognise that the office 9-5 isn’t for everyone. That’s why we’ve introduced ‘Flexible by Choice’. Whether it’s working from home, in our offices, or a combination of the both, we trust each other to support our clients, colleagues and communities at the right time, in the right way.

You’ll join the Public Law and Human Rights team based in Gatwick or the South East or join our national team working from one of our other regional offices. You will be a senior solicitor or Associate level experienced in Education law. You will run your own caseload and will be responsible for supervising junior colleagues. You may have experience in public law or community care law alongside your Education law experience. You will play an important role in further developing the team’s established reputation and will be actively involved in business development.

You’ll have the opportunity to get involved in an interesting and diverse caseload; right from the beginning you’ll play a key part in securing justice for our clients and making a real difference in their lives. You’ll have the confidence to hit the ground running and have the ability to work independently on issued cases. Given the nature of the work you’ll work with vulnerable clients and your role will be highly rewarding, but you’ll have to be resilient and calm whilst also putting your clients’ needs first at all times.

You will be responsible for:

• Managing a caseload of complex education cases, comprising mainly of SEND Tribunal appeals, with minimum supervision.
• Advising on a wide range of education matters to include:
  • UTT appeals
  • School exclusions
  • Admissions
  • Disability Discrimination Act Cases
  • Complaints against Local Authorities/ LGO and school complaints
  • Education- related Judicial Reviews
  • Providing schools and college advice
  • Providing ad-hoc SEN strategy advice and conducting EHCP health checks
  • Community Care law work related to our education matters
  • Working on privately and publicly funded work.

• Supervising junior colleagues and conducting file reviews in due course
• Other potential management responsibilities
• Developing relationships with appropriate groups and organisations to provide an exceptional client experience and generate new cases

• Writing and delivering seminars to charities and education- related organisations and attending networking events as part of business development
• Writing education law articles and case reviews

• 5+ years PQE working in the area of education law.
• Proven experience of handling your own cases,.
• A clear enthusiasm for this area of law and a commitment to securing the best outcomes for your clients whilst working under pressure.
• Operate independently and as part of a team to deliver the best outcomes for our clients and develop other team members.
• Experience of line management and supervision.
• An ability to work with empathy and integrity.

• 25 days annual leave, with the opportunity to buy additional leave
• Two fundraising days in a year to give back to the community (fully paid!)
• Westfield Health membership, offering discounted leisure and travel and refunds on medical services

We also offer a huge number of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace as well as flexible working options to ensure that you are fully supported to work the way that best suits you. Our social responsibility programme is fundamental to who we are. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish. We have a range of groups to celebrate our people across sexuality, disability, age, gender and culture. 

We welcome applications from all diversity groups and backgrounds. We’re committed to enabling everyone to thrive and understanding and celebrating our differences is a key part of that. We’re proud of our work on the Disability Confident scheme, on the Race At Work Charter and as Stonewall Diversity Champions. We also have a range of networks for LGBT+, disability, generations, gender, social mobility, ethnicity, faith and culture to celebrate our people and to enable everyone to thrive.

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, existing employees, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

Depending on the role you apply for we may carry out checks that will establish your eligibility to work in the UK, and criminal record check and financial checks ­with a credit reference agency will also be undertaken.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.