Julia has been involved in education professionally since 2008. She qualified with Bond Pearce solicitors in Plymouth and then moved to Foot Anstey solicitors establishing an education practice, her first clients being Plymouth schools changing to Trust status; they developed a growing practice with the arrival of the Academies Act in 2010. Julia moved to Browne Jacobson Solicitors heading up the southwest region and the new office.

She has recently joined Wolferstans Solicitors and has essentially returned to her roots. Julia has experience in conversions of many types and has advised schools on a variety of matters such as exclusions and behaviour; estates and property matters; disability and discrimination tribunals; complaints and data protection. Her experience covers a wide range of pastoral matters as well as contractual queries and governance matters.

During her career in education affairs, she has been a governor of a secondary school; a governor of a Further Education College and a Chair of Governors of a secondary school before it joined a Multi Academy Trust.

When Julia is not working, she enjoys sailing on the Exe estuary and at Salcombe. She is a member of a Book Group and continues to try and play the violin! She is also surrogate parent to a border collie/Aussie Shepherd cross who requires plenty of regular exercise and attention.

Joining the Learning Academy Trust as a Trustee keeps Julia in touch with the ever-changing education landscape from the school perspective. She can bring to the Trust, over 15 years’ experience of working with schools across the country and can bring an overview of the legal landscape and how it affects the day to day running of a MAT.