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Purpose & Impact: your roundup | July

Welcome to your roundup – a monthly selection of news hand-picked to keep you up to date with what’s going on for businesses and investors working to create positive impact. In this roundup you can find out what’s new in the B Corp, social enterprise, and impact investing spaces, amongst others, collated under helpful headings. …
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Publishing and AI – recent developments

Richard Marke, head of Bates Wells’ Corporate and Commercial team, recently spoke at the International Federation of Computer Law Associations (IFCLA) conference in Madrid on the topic of the ongoing battle between artificial intelligence (AI) companies and the publishing industry. Here we summarise the key developments he highlighted. It is generally acknowledged that AI developers …
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Webinar | Planning and navigating collective redundancies: A practical guide | 10 July 2025

Collective redundancy processes remain one of the most legally sensitive and operationally complex challenges for employers. In this one-hour webinar, we’ll combine legal insights with practical tools, helping you to manage collective redundancy exercises with clarity and confidence, as well as ensuring compliance, reducing risk, and maintaining best practice throughout. Topics we’ll cover include: Who …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 2 July

Our weekly round up of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission Risk management guidance Civil Society has reported that the Charity Commission is planning to update its guidance on charities and risk management (CC26). …
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Redundancy consultation processes: Is it ok to score first and consult later?

It is a well-known tenet of Employment Law, that having a genuine and meaningful consultation with affected staff, at a formative stage and prior to any dismissals taking effect, is a cornerstone of a fair redundancy process. In the case of ADP RPO UK Ltd v De Bank Haycocks, the Court of Appeal found that, …
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Bates Wells advises ThinkSono on its £4.5m fundraise

Bates Wells has advised pioneering ultrasound AI company, ThinkSono, on its £4.5m fundraise from a mix of institutional funds, PE and private wealth. ThinkSono has built the world’s first AI software for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) detection which can improve the clinical pathway significantly. A ThinkSono Guidance exam typically takes less than 15 minutes using …
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The downstream impact of Finch v Surrey County Council, one year on

Last week marked one year since the landmark decision in R (Finch) v Surrey County Council, a challenge to Surrey’s decision to allow the expansion of an onshore oil well site. In its June 2024 judgment, the Supreme Court held that, in its decision, the Council should have weighed “downstream” greenhouse gas emissions. These would …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 24 June

Our weekly round up of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission The latest edition of Charity Connection focuses on celebrating small charities and covers World Whistleblower Day, mentioning various whistleblowing resources for charities. See …
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Ten things you need to know about the new Code of Fundraising Practice

After three years of consultation and engagement by the Fundraising Regulator on changes to the Code of Fundraising Practice (the ‘Code’), the new draft has now arrived. There will be an implementation period to get ready for it, with the new Code coming into force on 1 November 2025. The existing (2019) version of the …
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Keys with conditions: What you need to know about service occupancies

Service occupancies are a common but often misunderstood arrangement, especially for organisations like charities, schools, care providers and religious institutions that offer housing to employees as part of their job. While convenient in many ways, service occupancies carry significant legal complexity, particularly if the employment relationship ends or changes over time. What is a service …
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Webinar | The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 – a practical approach

This webinar takes a practical approach to help your organisation to implement the relevant changes to data protection law made by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. The topics we cover include:   By the end of the webinar you will be better able to explain the main changes to your organisation (whether you …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 18 June

Our weekly round up of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission Updated guidance on raising concerns The Charity Commission has updated its guidance on raising a concern with the Commission (CC47). The press release …
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