Christopher Sing

Having previously been the Head of Education for a regional law firm and now the Head of Schools for Freeths, Christopher has a particular interest in schools and colleges. His background includes the secure delivery of all the legal aspects of academy conversions (particularly complex multi-school/multi-site projects), second generation academy conversions of academies into large multi-academy trusts, the creation of studio schools and free schools and the restructuring and merger of schools and colleges.

Recent Work

• Defending a prominent independent school in a tribunal claim for disability and sex discrimination, involving matters that were publicly sensitive to a successful conclusion while protecting confidentiality.
• Leading several second generation academy transfers of standalone academies into a larger multi-academy trusts.
• Advising many clients, including a leading university, on protracted employment disputes that involve subject access requests under the Data Protection Act.
• Leading the soft merger of the staff of two schools into an integrated single organisational structure on time and on budget. This was done without any complaints being made in the employment tribunal by staff or the relevant trade unions.
• Advising a national education provider on a complicated and sensitive disciplinary process, following a member of staff coming under suspicion for the murder of a child.

Recent Work

• Representing a client and appearing as the advocate in a dispute resulting in a 3-day tribunal case. The case included a claim of automatic unfair dismissal due to an alleged transnational TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)) transfer to a country outside of the EEA.
• Representing a PLC (Public Limited Company) client and appearing as the advocate in a dispute resulting in a 12-day tribunal case. The case included claims of automatic unfair dismissal due to whistleblowing and asserting a statutory, ordinary unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and breach of contract. The matter was further complicated due to the reporting requirements of a PLC and officers of the client being personally named as Respondents.
• Representing a client in the leisure industry and appearing as the advocate in a dispute resulting in a 3-day tribunal case involving claims of automatic unfair dismissal (due to whistleblowing and raising a health and safety concern) and ordinary unfair dismissal. The case was of high significance to the client, because any negative findings would have impacted on its future tender responses to its local authority clients.
• Representing a client with media and political sensitivities, including appearing as the advocate, in a dispute resulting in a 3-day tribunal case. The case included a claim of disability discrimination relating to cancer. Christopher defended the discrimination claim, which was of high importance because it related to individuals in the public eye who had previously campaigned for a cancer charity.