Keya Advani

Solicitor

020 7551 7764

Email Keya

Experience

I joined Bates Wells after working with a variety of non-profit and civil society organisations in India, Jamaica, the United States and the UK, and subsequently spending five years training and practicing as a banking solicitor at Linklaters.

As a solicitor in the Charity and Social Enterprise department at Bates Wells I combine my experience of working in-house with charities, and my skills as a finance lawyer, to advise on a broad range of activities carried out by charities and social enterprises. This includes advice relating to structuring and executing social impact finance transactions; charity formation, registration and governance; as well as a variety of general charity and commercial law issues.

I enjoy thinking about issues in an interdisciplinary way, trying to draw on best practices from law, policy, and development, and across multiple jurisdictions, to deliver sensible and holistic solutions for clients.    

  • I’ve advised on the formation and registration of charities and social enterprises.
  • I have advised on the relationships between charities and their spin-outs and trading subsidiaries.
  • I draft and advise on bespoke contracts for charities, including partner funding contracts and grant agreements, as well as commercial funding arrangements and standard terms & conditions.
  • I advise charity trustee boards on governance matters.

Areas of expertise:

Services

Charity

Qualifications and career

  • Hamilton College (USA), BA Comparative Literature, 2008
  • Global Justice Centre (USA), Programme Assistant, 2008
  • Human Rights Law Network (India), Programme Officer, 2009
  • National Law School of India University (India), Post Graduate Diploma in Human Rights Law, 2010
  • University of Cambridge (UK), BA Law, 2012
  • University of Law (Moorgate) (UK), LPC, 2013
  • Linklaters LLP (UK), Trainee Solicitor, 2013
  • Mary Ward Legal Centre (UK), Legal Secondee, 2015
  • Linklaters LLP, admitted as a solicitor, 2015
  • Linklaters LLP, Associate, Banking department (restructuring & insolvency), 2015
  • Bates Wells, Solicitor, Charity and Social Enterprise department , 2019

Pro bono, memberships, and appointments

  • I’ve worked pro-bono with many charities, non-profits and civil society organisations in the UK and internationally, including the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group, Amicus, Acid Survivors Trust International, Plan International and Penal Reform International.