
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
Contact us
If you would like to request legal advice or support, please contact us at legalcounsel
Team contact details are also provided below:
- Gavin Grant, Head of Legal Services, gavin.grant@strath.ac.uk
- Laura McManus, Solicitor, laura.mcmanus@strath.ac.uk
Please note that we provide legal advice in respect of University business only and cannot provide legal advice to staff in a personal capacity, or to students.
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:
RKES contracts
Contracts support and advice in relation to agreements for research and knowledge exchange activities.
Information Governance
Personal data, data protection and/or data processing agreements.
Procurement
Purchase of goods or services.
Ethics
Ethics applications/approvals or the University Ethics Committee.
HR
Staff employment and HR-related legal advice.
Trusted Research
Guidance in relation to Trusted Research (including Export Controls and Security risks).
Estates
Estates planning, projects and operations.