School Support for Catholic Schools
Our School Support Service gives schools quick access to legal advice on the whole range of issues which might affect you. Importantly, we understand that Catholic Schools face unique challenges in areas including employment, admissions, governance and property. Our experience working with Catholic Schools and dioceses over many years means that we are well-placed to provide you with the specialist advice that you require.
The School Support Service operates as a legal “triage” service – when you contact us, your call will be answered directly by one of our solicitors who will provide you with advice on any legal query you have. If a query is particularly complex or requires specialist input, we will draw in experts from the specialist teams within the firm or refer the enquiry to them (though our first response team will still monitor the enquiry and advice given).
We offer schools a choice between a Silver and Gold service:
Silver Service
Our Silver Service is suited to schools who believe their need for legal services is light, but appreciate the sense of security membership can bring. The helpline will deal with any enquiry and is designed to provide the school with a quick answer to an issue or sense check for a course of action. We will provide a separate fee estimate for any queries that fall outside of the helpline service. This service includes:
- Access to our telephone helpline for guidance on quick legal queries for just £150 plus VAT per academic year
- Advice from our solicitors for reassurance or guidance
- Access to our S3 portal with news, briefings and FAQs (supported documents are only available to Gold Service members)
- Discounted fees where any routine query falls outside of the helpline service
Gold Service
Our Gold Service is designed for schools who prefer a more supported approach to legal services. There is no restriction on the time we spend responding to specific queries, although instructions that are clearly ‘bespoke’ will be charged separately.
A comprehensive legal service for a fixed fee. It includes the same services as the Silver package plus:
- Written advice and reviewing and drafting routine documents
- An optional meeting up to one hour (at our offices) for no extra charge to discuss a specific or general query – or just an opportunity to meet the team
- Access to supported documents on our S3 dedicated portal including regularly updated policies and contract templates with guidance– this links with the CES portal where Catholic schools can find template employment policies and contracts which we have helped develop
- Perfect for schools who wish to budget for legal advice
If you are unsure about which service is right for your school, please do get in touch and a member of our team will be happy to discuss the options and cost with you in more detail.
Contact us
For more information on how we can help you or to request a brochure, please contact us on 0345 070 1005 or email: catholicschoolsupport@wslaw.co.uk.