Education institutions are complex businesses. Understanding their day-to-day operations and how the unique amalgam of a student body, a parent body and a staff body (made up of teaching and non-teaching employees) interact is a critical component of being able to deliver clear and practical legal advice.
The legal issues facing education institutions are many and varied including the basic duty of care owed to students, contractual obligations to staff and other businesses, property based issues, child protection issues, workplace health and safety issues, privacy issues and discrimination and sexual harassment issues are just some of the many legal issues that education institutions confront and manage on a regular basis. Adding to the complexity, the legal issues they face will in many situations be in the context where the duty of care and responsibility owed to your ‘customers’ is higher than in almost any other service or business.
CGLaw has significant experience in assisting education institutions deal with large and complex workplace agreements, negotiations and employee management issues. We are also experienced in drafting important Enrolment documentation and Policies that regulate the enrolment of a student from the commencement of their education right through until graduation. The firm’s commitment to the sector is both professional and personal with our Directors regularly involved in board, foundation and committee advice on a voluntary basis for significant organisations within the education sector.
Our longstanding relationship with leading education institutions gives us a competitive edge when crafting legal advice and services that meet the sector’s unique requirements. CGLaw’s legal services for the education sector cross over the primary, secondary, tertiary and trade based educational environments as well as child care institutions. Our services to the education sector include:
- Enrolment Contract advice to ensure that the contractual base between the family and the educational institution is robust and up to date with statutory and common law obligations;
- Enrolment Policies and Procedures advice to ensure that the relevant policies and procedures support the education institution’s various processes. Relevant policies include:
- Enrolling Students with Special Needs Policies;
- Gender Diverse Policies;
- Separated Family Policies;
- Parent Codes of Conduct;
- Discipline Policies;
- Scholarship and Bursary Policies;
- Anti Discrimination Policies;
- Sexual Harassment Policies;
- Repayment Arrangement advice and how to ensure that the education institution’s rights are protected whilst at the same time ensuring that it does not breach the provisions of the National Credit Code.
- Workplace advice and specifically:
- Employee Recruitment, Engagement & Planning
- Employment contracts
- Independent Contractor Agreements
- Restraints of Trade
- Award Interpretation
- Strategic Workplace Relations
- Employee Management
- Defending proceedings (unfair dismissal, safety)
- Workplace investigations
- Policies and procedures
- Training
- Workplace Health & Safety
For legal advice from lawyers with a deep understanding of the education sector please contact us.