• Arts & Cultural Property
• Banking & Financial Services
• Charities
• Media & Entertainment
• Property
• Retail & Leisure
• Technology, digital media and marcoms

Charities and not for profit (NFP) organisations turn to us for advice in relation to their legal status and charitable status as well as for support with their day-to-day activities. Many individuals in the firm have also made personal commitments to the charity sector, often acting as trustees.

Our services include:

• strong understanding of charity law and practice, the formation and winding up of charities, mergers, good governance, the use of subsidiary trading companies
• tax issues for charities - particularly VAT and trading issues
• familiarity with cultural organisations, fundraising, intellectual property issues
• internal disputes among trustees, or with non-trustee staff
• complex administrative law issues
• Real estate
• reputation management
• legacy income management, and commitments to donors and testators
• employment issues

Recent experience advising:

• discrimination issues alleged by certain members of a religious charity
• the obligations of an ancient charitable foundation for a local body, where there was a proposal to close almshouses
• conflict of interest allegations, for example in a case where a disaffected ex-employee alleged mismanagement
• the formation of new philanthropic and operational charities
• a housing charity which wanted to cease operations and transfer its activities and funds to a national charity
• a charity which wanted to establish a permanent lecture series and annual grant under the auspices of another charity
• the conversion of unincorporated charities into companies limited by guarantee
• serious allegations by the executors of an estate that charitable funds left by a deceased testator had been misapplied by the charity
• the restructuring of a local charity where there was doubt about the identity of its trustees, and about the procedures for electing the management board
• the registration of heritage buildings as charities, particularly linked with redevelopment projects
• the drafting or revision of rules for non-charitable bodies such as residents’ groups, fighting funds

We have recently advised:

• Bianca Jagger Foundation, New Berlioz Edition and the Contemporary Art Society
• Museums and galleries on aspects of charity law and governance
• Religious charities, including those of the Christian, Jewish and Moslem and Buddhist faiths, on governance and funding
• Summerhill School on governance and dealt with a statutory case
• “Friends” bodies in support of UK and overseas charities, on registration and their relationship with their parent bodies
• The Writers’ Guild and The Society of Authors on administrative and constitutional matters
• the Centre for Attachment Based Psychotherapy regarding constitutional and membership concerns