Meet the Team

All our authors act for education sector clients on a daily basis. Through our firm, Maxwells Solicitors, we represent a wide range of education providers including universities, colleges, private colleges, public sector educational institutions and primary and secondary schools.

 

The firm is one of the longest established in Ireland and our roots in the education sector go back to the 1800s.  Education Law is at the very core of our firm.

 

 Below we put faces to the authors and provide some information about ourselves.

• Donagh Tanham

  

  Donagh represents schools in a wide range of matters including internal disciplinary issues, employment issues and in contract and commercial matters. He has an interest in Data Protection Law and in Freedom of Information requests in the education sector and has represented clients in this area. He also has an interest in Intellectual Property matters and recognises its importance to Schools and Colleges. Donagh has a Diploma in Arbitration and a Diploma in Intellectual Property & Information Technology Law.

• Paul Guinness

  

  Paul provides legal advice rapidly and decisively to clients in the education sector, arising from long experience of their practices, procedures and ethos. His particular interests lie in drafting and advising on documents which constitute the basic legal framework within which certain schools operate, and also in advising in connection with regulatory Bills of the Oireachtas and their possible effect on schools. He has also advised extensively in connection with internal disciplinary proceedings involving members of staff.

• Padraig Lankford

  

  Padraig has, over 20 years, acted on behalf of education providers from primary level through secondary to University level. He provides a number of education providers with all their employment law advice. He also advises on internal procedures, disciplinary inquiries and provides practical advice to education providers in these matters. He has an interest in Freedom of Information and Data Protection Act matters. Padraig is also interested in the growing and evolving area of plagiarism and detection software.

• Geraldine Griffith

  

  Geraldine advises education providers on a range of property matters including conveyancing, planning, licensing, rights of way and such matters. She has long experience in advising in relation to enterprise/business incubation centres. Geraldine has an interest in Residence Hall Agreements and practical ways for education providers to deal with student residents without going through the sometimes arduous student discipline code. She has also written on start- up companies.

• Cora Sherlock

  

  Cora advises education providers on a range of property matters. Her work includes advising on landlord and tenant issues, licensing, planning and such matters. She has also advised Colleges in relation to enterprise/business incubation centres and the myriad issues arising from that. She understands the importance of clear, practical advice to education providers. Her interests include campus security issues, the liability for extra-curricular activities and health and safety issues on campus.

• Michael Green

  

  Michael has an intimate knowledge of the Law of Charities which is important to education providers. He advises education providers in relation to complex and technical property matters, link-ups with other institutions and governance issues.

• Helen Ferguson

  

  Helen is a solicitor specialising in Wills and Probate, Taxation and Family Law. She is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and the finance committee of the Family Lawyers Association of Ireland. She provides advice in the private client area both to education providers and by special arrangement, also to their staff members. She also advises education providers in relation to complex licensing matters and looks after the licensing requirements of several institutions.