Andrew Laing Consultant Solicitor

Andrew qualified as a solicitor in 2004, following a successful career as a Registered Nurse Andrew has been practising within the field of Education Law since 2005, during which time he has gained an enviable reputation for providing clear, concise and accurate legal advice to local authority officers, elected members (councillors), school governing bodies and school leaders in both England and Wales on various issues, including:

• Special Educational Needs and Disability (including representation at SEND Tribunal hearings)
• Pupil Behaviour and Attendance (including representation at school non-attendance prosecution hearings)
• School Admissions and Admission Appeals (including clerking school admission appeal hearings)
• School Exclusions and Exclusion Reviews (including clerking school exclusion review hearings)
• School Governance
• School Organisation
• Home to School Transport
• Parental Complaints
• Judicial Review

Andrew has also provided legal advice and support to the Department for Education and its partner agencies during the recent First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) Recommendation Power pilot scheme, which has since been rolled out across the whole of England.

Alongside his practice, Andrew regularly delivers training courses across England and Wales on various Education-Law-related topics to, amongst others, local authority officers, school governors and leaders and independent school admission appeal and exclusion review panel members and clerks.

Andrew accepts instructions from local authorities and maintained school governing bodies in England and Wales and Academy Trusts and local governing bodies in England.