Resources

Expertise, events, news and updates –
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360 Brand Review for Charities

Names and brands are a key asset for any charity. It is crucial that, as your charity grows and evolves, your brand protection doesn’t get left behind. How we can help Our team of in-house Chartered Trade Mark Attorneys specialise in understanding charities and the challenges they face, and our 360 BRAND REVIEW comprises a …
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Updated guidance for schools under the Equality Act regarding pupils with protected characteristics

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has updated its technical guidance for schools on their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 in England and Scotland. The updates have been made to ensure that guidance on the protected characteristic of sex and gender reassignment reflects developments in this area of policy and law. Background The guidance …
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Complaints and disciplinary procedures

Dealing with complaints is an inevitable part of any organisation’s work. But for organisations exercising a public function (such as professional membership organisations, regulators, and educational institutions) the handling of complaints is a crucial means by which they uphold professional and/or ethical standards and seek to protect the public. Complaints handling in these contexts is …
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Bates Wells successfully supports claimants challenging unviable rural development

The High Court has this week in R (Watton and Cameron) v Cornwall Council [2023] EWHC 2436 (Admin) set out guidance on the standard of reasons to be given by public authorities in circumstances where no duty to give reasons exists but reasons have been given voluntarily. Harry Campbell of Bates Wells represented the successful …
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Home Office’s position on graduates studying RIBA Part 3

Please note, this article was published in October 2023, but has been updated in August 2024. In August 2023, the Home Office confirmed their policy on the conditions of leave under the Graduate route, particularly for individuals interested in studying RIBA Part 3 to qualify as an architect. We have included some corrections to this …
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General Election 2024: Charity Campaigning – a guide

Click here to download the guide. The year before an election can be a fantastic opportunity for charities to engage with parties, candidates, the media and general public to raise awareness of their concerns and drive their mission forward. Elections offer an unrivalled shot for charities to secure support for policies that will advance their …
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Bates Wells advises Studio Silverback as it sets up Open Planet Community Interest Company

Studio Silverback, which launched in 2020, has a mission to use the power of film-making and story-telling to reveal the reality of our changing planet to a global audience. It has set up Open Planet as a social enterprise to further this aim. It will work with the world’s top documentary filmmakers and data scientists …
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Faith-based Organisations: 2023 Update

Welcome to our annual faith-based update. In a volatile and uncertain world, faith-based organisations bring hope, stability, community, and compassionate service to many. Faith-based groups often find that the boundaries of their responsibilities, as well as identity and culture, shift during these times. Our update includes practical advice on how to support staff when funds …
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Charities and social media | The new Charity Commission guidance | 26 September

Our charities and social media update took place on Tuesday 26th September. If you were able to attend, we hope you found it useful. Your participation and engagement were greatly appreciated. During the session we reviewed the latest Charity Commission guidance, plus the potential pitfalls of the use of personal social media accounts, how to identify …
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Environmental litigation: themes, risks and how to evolve in the era of global warming

Climate cases have direct and indirect impacts on decision making at board, policy, judicial and government level. The fallout from this litigation can result in shifts in approach and financial and reputational damage even when cases are unsuccessful. More cases are being filed against corporate actors, litigation about investment decisions are increasing and there has …
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Bates Wells successfully supports the Friends of the Victoria Hall community group against charity property disposal scheme

A team at Bates Wells led by Laura Soley and Jaqui Symcox recently supported the Friends of the Victoria Hall (FoVH), a community group representing local residents and organisations of Ealing, in the First-tier Tribunal. FoVH were appealing against a scheme allowing Ealing Council, as trustee of the Victoria Hall charity, to sell the historic …
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Net zero and the government U-turn – what will you do?

The government announcement on 20 September 2023 has derailed several climate change commitments including in relation to reducing carbon emissions from residential properties. The argument is that this relieves some financial burden for property owners. However, commentators suggest the U-turn on EPCs not only stores problems for the climate crisis but also creates a longer term …
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