What people say about us

Strengths: ‘Penningtons Manches Cooper is very methodical and very detailed in providing information on case law.’

‘The team is very good at walking the tightrope of being firm but fair with their advice.’

‘All members are helpful, prompt to respond and very respectful of our beliefs and opinions.’

Notable practitioners

Julie Burton: ‘Julie is direct, considerate and caring. I have great confidence in her work.’

‘Daniel Toop strives for good outcomes for his clients.’

Chambers UK - 2023 edition

Daniel Toop and Julie Burton lead the excellent team at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP that has been strengthened by the additions of associate James Berry and senior associate Victoria Federico. 

‘This is a leading Court of Protection Firm, well resourced and highly respected.’

‘The team is led by Julie Burton along with Daniel Toop who are excellent and highly experienced practitioners.’ 

‘I have worked with Julie Burton and Rachel Taylor. They are both very experienced and knowledgeable. They are fantastic with clients. Professional, approachable and available at short notice.’

‘Grace Serwanga – I do love working with her, I can feel the compassion on all things she does for us.’ 

The Legal 500 - 2023 edition

‘The team is strongly led by Julie Burton who has a wealth of experience. She is assisted by Danny Toop who is also highly regarded. They are panel deputies and also deal with large catastrophic claims. Therefore they can deal with everything from the smaller issues to the much larger ones but everything is dealt with professionally. Julie Burton is a stand out partner. She is very experienced and deals with matters with kindness and compassion.’

‘It is an extremely approachable team. Nothing is too much trouble. The team seems to be well organised and proactive. The lawyers really are a pleasure to work with. Julie Burton – not only is she incredibly nice and down to earth, she also knows the law, the procedure and the practice inside out.’

‘Daniel Toop is a rising star. Extremely professional and kind, but expert in his field. Rachel Taylor – Rachel is fantastic. She has great experience and she is very proactive.’

‘Julie Burton leads a formidable team with fellow partner Daniel Toop ably backed up by senior associates Rachel Taylor and Grace Serwanga. You will be hard pressed to find a more dedicated, knowledgeable and experienced team of practitioners in this specialist area.’

The Legal 500 - 2022 edition

Specialised team largely focused on acting for adults and children with acquired brain injuries as the result of personal injury and clinical negligence. Well equipped to handle the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious financial affairs and property work, including deputyships, statutory will applications and providing expert witness advice at trial. Also handles care funding and capacity issues. Adept at managing cases with cross-jurisdictional elements.

Strengths: One source describes the team as ‘well organised, experienced and efficient, and proactive in responding’.

Another states: ‘The team is very good at cases with cross-jurisdictional considerations, and is able to understand the nuances and break them down to both the court and the families.’

Notable practitioners

Julie Burton has significant expertise handling a variety of complex property and affairs matters, frequently acting as professional deputy for individuals with acquired brain injury, as well as vulnerable adults and children. She advises on gift applications and funding matters, with experience handling cases involving cross-border elements.

Chambers UK – 2022 edition

Julie has been amazing. She obviously has huge empathy for our case, and it shows every time we see her. Her team is also wonderful, especially Gill Young who was amazing when I was in hospital for a few weeks and helped us through a worrying time by being just on the other end of the phone. We bless the day that Julie took us on. An enormous thank you.

Mrs G

When it comes to tech issues, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP is a leading firm across the South East. Its practice spans numerous office locations and is therefore able to advise on a broad range of issues including software supply agreements, AI projects and data protection. 

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP’s defamation and reputation management team has expertise in misuse of private information, harassment and data protection breaches. 

‘Great team with deep knowledge and experience of this legal area.’

The Legal 500 - 2022 edition

‘Business-driven and pragmatic‘, Joanne Vengadesan, an expert in contracts and data protection, leads Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP‘s noncontentious IT practice which has a strong fintech offering, an international scope, and advises on cutting-edge matters, including AI and blockchain. Partner, Oliver Kidd is another specialist for contractual matters and data protection.

The reputation management and privacy practice at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP supports both claimants and defendants with libel claims, harassment, and data protection breaches. Head of litigation Clare Arthurs and reputation specialist Jeremy Clarke Williams co-lead the team. Adele Ashton has over 20 years' experience handling complex malicious falsehood and libel claims against major national news outlets, and is leading a number of large data breach claims. The team is supported by associate Eva McHale, who is also recommended.

The Legal 500 - 2023 edition

Strong education practice with significant experience in Tier 4 sponsor licences, data protection and freedom of information work. Also deals with academic litigation, pensions and other employment issues. 

Strengths: ‘They know their stuff and are very good at handling different clients. They are efficient and prepare everything properly.’ 

‘Excellent from my perspective – they were very accessible and turned things around very well.’ 

Notable practitioners

Hilary Aldred is a key contact.

Chambers UK - 2017 edition

Strong universities practice with significant experience in Tier 4 sponsor licences, data protection and freedom of information work. Also deals with academic litigation, pensions and industrial relations. Possesses considerable strength in immigration and regulatory matters, as well as employment disputes.

Strengths: One client remarks: ‘They are a super firm that provides really high-quality advice and shows great levels of compassion.’

Another praises the team for ‘providing well thought out advice and guidance’.

Interviewees characterise the firm's lawyers as ‘very responsive and knowledgeable’.

Notable practitioners

Daff Richardson: ‘She is extremely knowledgeable on all aspects of employment law.’

Hilary Aldred: ‘She is a tremendous lawyer who has very good knowledge of the education sector and is very practical.’

Victoria Federico: ‘She is really compassionate and understanding.’ ‘She is very good at client care and matches that with excellent legal skills.’

Chambers UK - 2022 edition

Strengths: Clients say: 'They understand the sector, are pragmatic and work out tactics to suit the particular circumstances.'

Notable practitioners
Hilary Aldred specialises in employment law and regularly represents universities and alternative higher education providers. She handles a range of matters, including judicial reviews and immigration issues. 'She's very knowledgeable in relation to academia and employment law and really understands the sector.'

Daff Richardson focuses her practice on employment law issues affecting clients in the higher education sector. She assists with both contentious and non-contentious matters, including contract arrangements and employment tribunals concerning whistle-blowing and discrimination allegations. 'She's good at seeing the wood for the trees and cutting through the unnecessary issues.'

Chambers UK - 2021 edition

Strengths: ‘Penningtons offer expert input on a range of issues. They demonstrate an excellent breadth and depth of knowledge.’

‘The service and quality of the advice from the team is always excellent.’

‘There is always a concerted effort at Penningtons to provide support and advice as quickly as possible while maintaining the quality of both.’

‘The quality of the advice is first-class - it's reliable and commercially-focused.’

Notable practitioners

Hilary Aldred: ‘Hilary is extraordinary on immigration matters.’

Victoria Federico: ‘Victoria is vastly experienced, compassionate and understands the client's needs.’

Katie Glendinning: ‘Katie is fantastic. She is responsive, thoughtful and takes the time to get to know the complexities of situations and understand her clients. She is a pleasure to work with.’

Daff Richardson: ‘We're always impressed with Daff's pragmatism and approach to matters.’

Gemma Woodhouse: ‘She is utterly reliable, professional, very likeable and client-focused.’

Chamber UK - 2023 edition

Penningtons Manches LLP has a particularly strong immigration and employment focus, and bolstered its charity practice with the arrival of Alison Talbot in February 2016. Daff Richardson and Hilary Aldred handle disputes and governance matters for higher education clients. 

Gemma Woodhouse is a specialist in the independent schools sector.

The Legal 500 - 2016 edition

The team at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP has extensive experience advising a broad range of education and public sector clients, including several Russell Group universities and independent schools.

Hilary Aldred is a well-known employment specialist, and also advises on public law and regulatory matters. She co-heads the education practice with Daff Richardson in Oxford, who focuses on student complaints and disciplinary matters, as well as data protection and freedom of information issues.

‘Hilary Aldred. Very experienced, very sensible and pragmatic, extremely hard working, excellent grasp of complex situations.’

‘Pat Saini is a true expert.’

‘All colleagues I have dealt with have been first rate. Student visa work – which is completely accurate – is a fairly rare commodity and Penningtons staff in this respect are outstanding.’

‘Gemma Woodhouse – exceptional practitioner. Her experience and expertise in the field make her invaluable. She is contactable at any time and exceptionally quick in her responses.’

The Legal 500 - 2022 edition

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP‘s cross disciplinary team has deep expertise advising clients in the public sector, primarily acting for higher education institutions and independent schools.

Practice leaders Hilary Aldred and Daff Richardson handle Cambridge and Oxford respectively, with Aldred specialising in contentious and non-contentious matters including public law, and Richardson focusing on student complaints and disciplinary matters. Pat Saini focuses on immigration work, advising on sponsorship, student visas and the impact of Brexit and the pandemic on international students. 

‘A fantastic team. Unrivalled knowledge of the law.’

‘Very strong and supportive team with excellent coverage across different levels of experience. There is a very strong representation of women in the work I have done with the firm.’

‘Hilary Aldred is a truly exceptional lawyer. Hard-working, brilliantly intelligent, judgment is second to none.’

‘Katie Glendinning is exceptional. Her attention to detail is outstanding and she has taken time to understand our school and our context to best give advice that fits us.’

‘Daff Richardson is enormously experienced and able to answer most questions. When not able to help, she is able to direct clients to parts of her firm where she knows there is expertise.’

‘Sam Rose is not only an excellent, incisive lawyer, who is always a pleasure to deal with, extremely efficient and a very safe pair of hands for even the most complex of cases, but she has the key advantage of having previously worked in-house at a University.’

‘Sophie Whitbread is a fantastic lawyer, very knowledgeable, supremely organised.’

‘Gemma Woodhouse – empathetic, excellent understanding of challenges in independent schools. Clear, decisive, objective. Supports client’s direction of travel but keeps us firmly on the right side.’

The Legal 500 - 2023 edition

Penningtons Manches LLP offers 'practical, high-quality advice' and is 'sensitive to the needs and issues of higher education', according to clients. It assists a host of UK, international and alternative providers of higher education, including with immigration issues. Hilary Aldred, who provides 'no-nonsense, practical advice', and Daff Richardson, who has a focus on disputes in this sector, co-head the department. Other noted team members include Pat Saini.

Clients praise employment partner Hilary Aldred for 'trying her best to follow the client’s instructions carefully even in difficult situations'. One client in the education sector remarks that 'we receive an excellent level of service from the employment team, with immediate response times, pragmatic advice and a good understanding of the sector' and notes that Aldred has 'unrivalled in-depth knowledge and understanding of the higher education environment and academic employment and contractual matters'. Senior associate Sophie Whitbread is also recommended.

Daff Richardson is 'incisive, professional and very responsive'; her track record in the higher education sector reassures clients, who value her 'knowledge of the key people, awareness of the history or politics behind a particular problem area, and detailed understanding of the statutes and bylaws'. 

The legal 500 - 2019 edition

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP's education team combines cross-departmental expertise in immigration, employment, commercial property and governance to advise clients on a wide spectrum of matters, including safeguarding and child protection as well as discrimination issues. Jointly led by Gemma Woodhouse, Hilary Aldred and Daff Richardson, the team has experience in assisting high-profile clients with historic abuse issues and defending against claims arising from this. Other key team members include immigration specialists Pat Saini and Hazar El-Chamaa.

Corporate partner Simon Bickerdike advises on multi-jurisdictional transactions and projects, and also handles merger-related matters. Sarah Coates advises education clients on property matters.

The Legal 500 - 2020 edition

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP is a well-known name among universities, for whom it handles banking and finance, dispute resolution and employment law work. Led by the 'outstanding' Daff Richardson in Oxford, the practice has a niche reputational management sub-group, which assists clients with student-related issues and social media matters. In Cambridge, Hilary Aldred is a go-to for advice on contentious and non-contentious employment issues. Also recommended are immigration head Pat Saini and Hazar El-Chamaa, who advise London-based universities on student visa matters.

The education group has a wide offering spanning areas such as employment, data privacy and data protection, immigration and corporate governance. The firm also has a specialist safeguarding sub-group that acts for schools and individuals in contentious student issues and historical abuse. The practice is jointly led by Hilary Aldred, Daff Richardson and Reading-based Gemma Woodhouse. Pat Saini and Hazar El-Chamaa are also recommended.

Daff Richardson has outstanding expertise across employment law and education law, and is well placed to advise universities and others on cross-over issues. Sophie Whitbread has similarly broad expertise, and is similarly well placed.

Hilary Aldred is a tireless worker and versatile expert on employment law and its related aspects, with a particular strength in the Universities sector.

Gemma Woodhouse is an exemplary partner. Highly commercial, dedicated, hard working. Nothing is too much trouble and solves issues.

The Legal 500 - 2021 edition

Strong universities practice with significant experience in Tier 4 sponsor licences, data protection and freedom of information work. Developing a strong reputation among alternative providers of higher education.

Strengths: Commentators note: ‘The firm cares about its clients. They're very knowledgeable about and interested in the education sector.’

Another source adds: ‘They give sound, practical advice and offer a great level of service and contactability.’

Notable practitioners
Hilary Aldred is a key contact.

Chambers UK - 2018 edition

Penningtons Manches LLP’s ‘very pragmatic and solution-oriented’ team provides comprehensive immigration and employment advice to funding providers and higher education institutions, as well as defending clients against claims arising under the Equality Act 2010. The ‘supremely sensible and knowledgeable’ Daff Richardson is advising a world-leading foreign university on the employment of a junior dean and is defending a higher education institution against a disability discrimination claim filed by an undergraduate student pertaining to the provision of special arrangements for examinations. Pat Saini is providing ongoing immigration advice to Navitas, including day-to-day support with risk management and Tier 4 Visa compliance. ‘Expert’ Hilary Aldred ‘grasps the nub of an issue immediately and sets out clearly and concisely related risks and available strategies’. Alison Talbot is also recommended.

Senior associate Sophie Whitbread acted for the commercial arm of a UK university on an HR audit that resulted in proposals for the restructuring of part of its business.

The Legal 500 - 2017 edition

I love being involved in complex, high value cases with some of the best lawyers in their field and learning from them as I work.

Emma Beeson, Senior associate