Education

We act for many clients in the education sector. Our work encompasses not only advice on laws specific to education, but also other specialist areas relevant to the sector, including research.

We have particular expertise in advising third level institutions, tech transfer and commercialisation offices and business incubator centres.

Ireland has long been recognised as a hub for world-class education services, and Irish educational institutions are continuously striving to increase their profile on the international stage, in particular through their postgraduate research activities.  The Department of Education and Skills is also encouraging collaborations and amalgamations between institutions, which can pose challenges.  In these changing times for Irish education, we give our clients the legal advice they need in order to implement their strategic plans and help them with the wide variety of goals and obligations they have.

We work mainly with third level institutions, assisting them with their funding and research requirements.  We have expertise in advising on all types of research arrangements (including industry sponsorship of academic research, agreements for research services, and collaborative research arrangements with industry), licensing arrangements, public funding agreements (including through Enterprise Ireland and SFI), application of State aid rules, application of the Technology Transfer Block Exemption, and in relation to materials transfer agreements.  We work closely with a number of business incubation centres located in Irish third level institutions.

  • The Universities Acts, the Institutes of Technology Acts and the Education Acts
  • Employment law – both generally and in relation to sector-specific rules (e.g. reform of Employment Labour Orders through the new industrial relations legislation)
  • Procurement
  • Data protection and privacy obligations
  • Child protection obligations, including the drafting of child protection policies and Garda vetting
  • Real estate and construction
  • Intellectual property and technology
  • Dispute resolution

Whilst we concentrate on the third level sector, we have also advised the Department of Education on procurement issues, and our PPP team has advised on the Devolved Schools bundle and on PPP Schools Bundles 3, 4 and 5.