One of the few sectors where public spending had held up consistently over a period of years – ahead of the Government’s austerity measures – is the education sector. Now cuts are beginning to bite but that has merely accentuated the need for shrewd legal advice.

The Legal 500 guide brackets four East Anglian firms in the top tier for Education work – Eversheds, Hewitsons, Mills & Reeve and Taylor Vinters. Hewitsons hits the top tier for the first time.

It says that Eversheds stands out for its ‘knowledge, breadth of experience, and standing among peers’. Glynne Stanfield, who heads the firm’s international education practice, advised UCL on its involvement in the £600m UK Centre for Medical Research, and Barnfield College on its restructuring.

Hewitsons joins the top tier this year. Clare Colacicchi’s team is said to have a vast client roster that includes Oxford’s Merton College, independent and maintained schools, further education institutions, and many Cambridge colleges. ‘All partners listen carefully, and they give holistic support on all fronts’.

Gary Attle’s team at Mills & Reeve is described as ‘totally professional, first rate in every respect’, and ‘excellent, both technically and on issues that cross traditional boundaries of legal expertise’. Clients include the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, King’s College London and the University of Westminster.

Taylor Vinters’ team is ‘quick, informative and reliable’. Christine Berry combines with employment, property, commercial and IP partners to advise clients such as the University of Cambridge and many of its colleges.

• PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: Glynne Stanfield, Eversheds