Higher Education Law Solicitors
If you are studying in the university and higher education sector, there are various problems you can run into that could derail your education, as well as your current or future career. The right legal support can be critical to protecting your education and your future.
We only act on behalf of students. We do not act on behalf of universities or other higher education institutions. You can be confident we will act in your best interests. We are dedicated to helping young people reach their aspirations. We are 100% on your side.
At IBB Law, we are experts in education law. We regularly support university students and other higher education students, as well as professionals working within the sector to deal with a wide range of issues.
Our higher education law solicitors can advise on matters including:
- Academic Failure
- Academic Misconduct
- Academic Plagiarism
- Allegations of Sexual Misconduct at University
- Allegations of Violence at University
- Complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA)
- Degree Classification Issues
- Fitness to Practise
- Problems with PhD
- UK Education Law Advice for International Students
- University Breach of Contract, Negligence and/or Discrimination
- University Disciplinary Issues
- University Fee Issues and Disputes
- Withdrawal from University
By providing clear advice on your situation and options, we can make sure you fully understand what is happening and what you need to do. We can then be by your side every step of the way.
Our Education Law team has a track record of success, helping students under the most challenging circumstances. With a proactive and pragmatic approach, we are able to get our clients the results they need while avoiding unnecessary conflict. However, where more robust action is required, we have the skills and expertise needed to vigorously defend our clients’ interests, including taking legal action against the university if necessary.
We offer a fixed fee initial consultation with our team to discuss your needs and see how we can help.
For expert higher education law advice, please contact our education law senior legal administrator, Rachael on 01895 207230 or email educationteam@ibblaw.co.uk
Our expertise with higher education law
Our higher education law practice benefits from the expertise of lawyers who spend 100% of their day advising students and young people on a range of education issues. We are specialists. We look at issues from a different angle.
Our experience extends to raising issues directly with universities, as well as taking complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) and the courts.
We know how worrying and confusing it can be to find yourself facing a problem with your university and how daunting the thought of taking action can seem. Our team are here to support you and give you the best chance of securing a fair outcome, no matter how challenging your circumstances.
How our team can help with higher education law advice
Accusations of academic misconduct can bring an end to your education and have serious consequences for your future career prospects. If you find yourself facing such allegations, it is essential to seek specialist legal advice as soon as possible.
Our expertise with academic misconduct includes:
- Plagiarism
- Academic Dishonesty
- Colluding with other students to produce work or subvert the plagiarism process
- Falsifying Information
- Impersonation of another student to undertake a test or submit work
- Sabotage
Find out more about how we can help with academic misconduct.
University disciplinary proceedings can be complicated and very scary, with the potential for a hugely negative impact on your life if the outcome does not go your way. Our Education Law team can provide expert advice and representation for every stage of proceedings, giving you the best chance of securing the result you need.
Our expertise with university disciplinary issues includes:
- Advice on how to respond to allegations of misconduct
- Navigating a university disciplinary investigation
- Interpreting the findings of a university disciplinary process, including any sanctions imposed
- Appealing the outcome of university disciplinary proceedings
Not getting the results you need and other types of academic failure can be devastating for your education and your future. Where you believe you have been treated unfairly, there are options to challenge academic failure, so it important to get expert advice on what you can do and to ensure you have the strongest possible case.
Our expertise with academic failure includes:
- Appealing grades
- Exam results
- Attendance records
- Coursework issues
- Degree Classification issues
- Problems with PhDs
- Untimely withdrawal from university
Find out more about how we can help with academic failure.
Being accused of academic plagiarism can be very confusing and upsetting, but these matters are not always clear cut, so it is important not to despair. With the right legal support it is often possible to successfully fight plagiarism allegations, allowing you to protect your reputation, your education and your future.
Our expertise with academic plagiarism includes allegations of:
- Passing off other students work as your own
- Copying work from other materials without proper referencing
- Paraphrasing from other materials without proper referencing
- Using data, diagrams or images with proper referencing
- Resubmitting previously submitted work
- Buying or commissioning work from a third-party
Your degree classification can make a huge difference to your future academic and career options, so where there is a question mark over the degree you have been awarded, you should be prepared to take action.
Our expertise with degree classification issues includes:
- Miscalculation of university grades
- Missed grades
- Failure by an exam board to properly apply calculation procedures
- Failure to take into account valid extenuating circumstances
PhDs require a huge investment of time, effort and funding, so you need to be confident that you are getting the right support and the right treatment to achieve the best possible results. Where you feel this has not been the case, expert legal advice can make a real difference.
Our expertise with PhD problems includes:
- Inadequate supervision
- Lack of access to essential materials
- Lack of proper guidance on writing up
- Unfair viva examinations
Where you are unhappy with the way a complaint has been dealt with by your university, you may need to refer the matter to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. The process for doing this is intended to be straightforward, but it still pays to get expert advice to make sure you present your case in the strongest light.
Our expertise with complaints to the OIA includes:
- Drafting Completion of Procedures Letters
- Completing the OIA’s Scheme Application Form
- Advice on your right of appeal if the OIA does not decide in your favour
Find out more about how we can help with complaints to the OIA.
Making a breach of contract claim against your university is a serious step, but one that is sometimes necessary where your education provider has let you down. These types of legal claims are highly complicated, however, so the benefits of expert legal support cannot be overstated.
Our expertise with university breach of contract includes:
- Advice on whether a breach has occurred
- Interpretation of university rules, regulations and handbooks
- Raising breach of contract concerns with universities
- Taking university breach of contract claims to court
Find out more about how we can help with university breach of contract.
Where a higher education provider has been negligent in their duty towards you as a student, you have the right to challenge this. Making a negligence claim can seem intimidating, but with the right legal advice and support, success is often possible.
Our expertise with higher education negligence includes:
- Failure to provide an adequate standard of teaching
- Tutors not attending lecturers and seminars
- Failure to provide appropriate support for students with mental health issues
- Negligent errors by university staff affecting student’s results
- Failure to provide adequate supervision for PhD students
Find out more about how we can help with higher education negligence.
If you have been discriminated against by your university on the basis of a protected characteristic (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) then this is a criminal offence and you have the right to take legal action.
Our expertise with university discrimination includes:
- Clear advice on whether you have a case for discrimination
- Raising discrimination concerns with a university
- Taking a discrimination claim to County Court
- Appealing an unfavourable outcome to a discrimination claim
Find out more about how we can help with university discrimination.
If you are a higher education professional who is facing fitness to practice proceedings, you must take this extremely seriously. Getting the right legal advice and support can be crucial to protecting your career and reputation.
Our expertise with fitness to practise proceedings includes:
- Ethical violations
- Fraud and financial misconduct
- Practising beyond your professional scope
- Previous convictions and cautions
- Responding to allegations of dishonesty
- Sexual misconduct
- Substance abuse
Find out more about how we can help with fitness to practise proceedings.
Disputes over university fees are all too common, whether they are caused by administrative errors or more serious issues. Our Education Law team can advise on whether it appears an error has been made and guide you through your options for resolving the matter.
Our expertise with university fee issues includes:
- UK students wrongly classified as international students and charged higher fees
- Disputes over payment of fees
- Fee refund requests
International students often find themselves facing difficulties due to unfamiliarity with the UK higher education system. Our UK education law experts can answer your questions and advise on your options if you need to raise an issue or respond to a problem that has arisen.
Our expertise with higher education law advice for international students includes:
- Advice on UK university rules and regulations
- Support with accusations of cheating or plagiarism
- Failure by a university to provide appropriate support for international students
- Discrimination
Our education legal advice fees
Fixed fee initial consultation
We offer an initial consultation for a fixed fee. During this initial fixed fee consultation, we will listen to your story, consider your documents, discuss your case with you and answer questions you have. We will then advise on whether we believe you have a case, what action needs to be taken and the likely costs involved.
Transparent cost estimates
Following the initial fixed fee consultation, we typically work on a cost estimate basis for any work you ask us to undertake after that initial consultation. All costs will be agreed in advance, so you have total transparency over the cost of securing our help with your higher educational law issue.
The exact cost of our services will depend on the nature of your problem, the number of documents to consider, the amount of time and level of expertise needed to support you effectively. We will be happy to discuss this with you when you contact our team.
For more information on our higher education law pricing, please get in touch.
Please note that we are only able to take on cases on a privately paying basis. If you are unable to privately fund your case or you looking for general guidance on what actions you can take to protect you or your child’s education rights, we recommend you approach Citizens Advice .
Meet the team
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- Celia Whittuck
- Senior Associate
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Get clear, practical higher education legal advice
The information given here is intended for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice.
For specific guidance relevant to your situation, please contact our higher education senior legal administrator, Rachael on 01895 207230 or email at educationteam@ibblaw.co.uk
If you would like to proceed with an fixed fee consultation, Rachael will send you an online booking link to choose a time that is convenient to you, to speak to one of our specialist university solicitors.
