Experience

I specialise in advising charities and other non-profits on a range of governance, commercial and regulatory matters.

I have a passion for supporting organisations with their structure and governance, whether that’s helping new organisations to set up in the right way at the start of their journey or helping existing organisations to improve their structures and governance in line with best practice.

Where organisations are looking to restructure, merge or spin out, I can help with finding the most suitable route to achieve this and ensuring the legal processes are all followed correctly.

I really enjoy working with organisations on how best to manage their relationships with others, whether that’s providing advice on issues that crop up or making sure that the right contracts are in place, and I always aim to keep things as simple and pragmatic as possible.

Highlights
  • I supported a new organisation that had been unsuccessful in its application to the Charity Commission for registration as a charity, despite multiple rounds of correspondence with the Commission. We engaged with the Commission on the organisation’s behalf and we were successful in demonstrating that the organisation’s work was charitable and it was subsequently registered as a charity.
  • I provided ongoing support to a national charity in relation to its contractual relationships with corporate partners, suppliers and grantees. We worked together to develop a suite of simple yet robust template agreements for different types of relationship, along with detailed drafting notes so that staff are confident in using the agreements when new opportunities arise. This was supported by an ongoing retainer arrangement under which we were available to answer ‘ad hoc’ queries that staff might have when they are using the templates and negotiating specific terms with third parties.
  • I assisted NUS Charity with updating and improving its model documents for students’ unions that are planning to ‘incorporate’ (convert from an unincorporated association into a company or a CIO). I have also supported multiple students’ unions through the incorporation process.
  • I helped the UK branch of a global charity to prepare intra-federation agreements with all entities in the international family, to ensure that the UK charity’s position was protected.
  • I have advised multiple students’ unions how to approach divisive political issues, including in relation to the making of policy by students and how to respond to complaints, taking into account charity law, free speech and reputational considerations.
  • I helped a charitable benevolent fund to improve its structure and governance in line with best practice. We spun the benevolent fund out from its founding organisation, to ensure that there was a clear separation between the two organisations and the benevolent fund was operating independently in line with charity law. Once the new independent charity was set up, we put suitable agreements and arrangements in place between the two organisations to define roles and expectations. As well as providing general advice on governance and decision-making best practice, we carried out a comprehensive review and update of the benevolent fund’s policies and procedures to ensure that it was in the best position going forward to operate effectively and compliantly.
  • I advised a national infrastructure charity on its separation from a Government body. This involved redrafting various constitutional documents, advising on engagement with the Charity Commission to obtain urgent approvals, and working collaboratively with the Government body and its lawyers to negotiate the various changes and ensure the separation process was effective.