Paul Greatorex

Paul has practised in public law throughout his career.  He has represented numerous local authorities and public bodies and experienced the full range of government legal work during his time on the Attorney-General’s panel of counsel.  He is very experienced in claims for judicial review in the High Court as well as appellate cases in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.  Paul has particular expertise in discrimination law and claims under the Equality Act 2010 and also has considerable experience of community care, immigration, mental capacity, planning and prisons cases.

Education law is Paul’s main area of practice and encompasses every aspect of this field from pre-school to university. He advises and represents a wide range of clients from all over the country and appears in all relevant tribunals and courts. His past and present clients include schools (maintained, independent and academies), parents, students, local authorities, universities, FE colleges, language schools, qualifications bodies, the Schools Adjudicator, Ofsted and the Department for Education. He appeared in the High Court and Supreme Court in the high-profile “term-time holidays” case of Isle of Wight v Platt [2017] UKSC 28.

Human rights issues arise regularly in most of Paul’s areas of practice and he has considerable experience of advising on them, both from the perspective of the individual and the public authority.

Paul regularly advises and represents local authorities on the areas of law in which he specialises, and also provides talks and training.

Paul is available to act as a mediator or arbitrator in disputes of any nature within his areas of practice. He is always keen to find innovative solutions to resolve disputes in a way that is more amicable and proportionate than formal litigation.

Paul has experience of all types of investigations ranging from straightforward cases to complex ones which attract very high profile coverage in the national media.  He understands the need to work with clients from the outset to establish the nature and scope of the investigation and to ensure that it is carried out promptly and in a proportionate way.