I have been a lawyer for over 25 years, training with a magic circle firm, being a partner of a national practice for ten years and for, twelve years and counting, working with Bates Wells to support purpose led organisations.
I have never felt more keenly than in these febrile times the need and desire to apply my legal skills and business experience to help clients committed to social and environmental change. This includes charities, social enterprises, social and impact investors and purpose led businesses.
I advise commercial organisations looking to embed purpose in what they do, including reviewing their governance structures and revising their contractual relationships and terms with stakeholders. These are often businesses seeking to address issues such as the climate emergency and biodiversity loss.
I work with grant making foundations and investors to develop more balanced, less onerous terms in their standard agreements.
I advise community owned and focused organisations providing renewable energy, affordable locally owned and managed homes and affordable finance.
I advise on procurement, subsidy control and contracting and commercial issues through a lens of achieving social and environmental outcomes in addition to achieving value for money.
- Acting for a new higher and further education college, based in the Brecon Beacons, offering the first UK based degree aimed at equipping graduates for a climate stressed world. This has involved structuring charitable and non charitable entities and attracting social investment to enable the college to become established.
- Acting for a new provider of high quality educational content, particularly natural history film footage and infographics to raise understanding of biodiversity and climate challenges. This involved creating a community interest company and structuring equity and debt investment into it which was social investment tax relief compliant.
- Acting for a number of community land trusts as they become established, attract funding and develop their initial projects.
- My work on social impact bonds involves advising service providers and investors across multiple sectors and programmes
- I advise to not for profit purchasers of renewable energy schemes on refinancings and introducing community ownership models
- I advise on the structuring and give governance advice around incorporation of charities, community interest companies and community benefit societies
- I assist with the funding and refinancing of civil society organisations, including blended finance, bond and share issues and project finance
- I provide public procurement, subsidy control and state aid advice to public sector bodies and civil society organisations
- I advise public sector employees looking to create independent social enterprises, including health, local authority and probation services
- I advise community groups creating co-operatives and community benefit societies, including land trusts and renewable energy companies
- I advise civil society organisations providing public services, including payment by results contracting
- I act on mergers and acquisitions of civil society businesses
- I advise on partnership arrangements between for profit and not for profit organisations
- I advise on international licensing and distribution agreements
- I advise public sector and education establishments on disposals of assets