Legal Services

Sitting within the Office of the University Compliance Officer, the Legal Services team provides robust and pragmatic legal advice to senior officers and to academic and professional services colleagues across the University.

We aim to work collaboratively to deliver high-quality and impactful advice that is solution-based, business-oriented and centred on a sound assessment of legal risk.

We also work with external advisors as necessary to provide appropriate support to the University’s objectives, always helping to secure the best value for money and manage the University’s risk exposure appropriately.

We handle a broad array of frequently complex legal and compliance issues that impact the University, its staff and its students. This may include providing legal advice on the following (non-exhaustive) range of matters:

• educational contracts (such as transnational educational partnerships and other learning & teaching activity)
• technology transfer and intellectual property
• student matters (such as student discipline; safeguarding; complaints; consumer protection; UK Visa & Immigration)
• legislative and regulatory compliance matters (such as national security; subsidy control; export control; and others)
• charity law
• dispute resolution
• strategic projects
• procurement matters
• property and estates matters
• information governance-related legal matters (for example, providing support to the Data Protection Officer around template agreements and liability)
• general corporate and commercial matters
• general risk and compliance
• university policies and procedures

Other support

There are a number of specialist teams within the University who may be the most appropriate first point of contact for your query, and who may involve Legal Services as and when required. Some helpful details of such departments are listed below: