Resources

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Membership bodies – is your governance fit for purpose?

Like all organisations, professional membership bodies and learned societies should regularly review their governance and governing documents to make sure they are up to date and fit for purpose. Some of the key things to think about are: Purposes – are the purposes of your organisation still suitable? You will want to consider whether they …
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Purpose & Impact: your roundup

Welcome to your roundup – a monthly selection of news hand-picked to keep you up to date with what’s going on for businesses wanting 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. We’ll also …
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Bates Wells and Fashion Declares have collaborated on a Sustainable Fashion White Paper: The Future of Fashion Regulation in the UK

In recent years, there have been significant developments in sustainability legislation introduced by the European Union (EU) and United States (US) which apply directly to the fashion and textile industry. Whilst there are a range of views on the effectiveness of this legislation, the United Kingdom (UK) still lacks a coherent fashion and textile regulatory …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 29 April

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 charities paying a trustee or a connected person (CC11) The Charity Commission has redesigned its guidance on charities paying trustees …
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A safer life online for children: Ofcom’s call to action

If your organisation hosts online forums or other communities where users can interact online, you may need to take action under Ofcom’s new codes on child safety. Charities advocating for online safety for children and women will also be interested in the implications of these codes, as well as Ofcom’s current consultation on protecting women …
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Bates Wells and Fair Game drive key improvements in Football Governance Bill as it advances in Parliament

The Football Governance Bill has received its first reading in the House of Commons, having passed through the House of Lords with its key provisions intact. The Bill will introduce an Independent Football Regulator to oversee the licensing of clubs in the top five tiers of the men’s game, with three main objectives: protecting individual …
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Balancing Flexible Working and Office Working: Lessons from Gill v BDW Trading Ltd

The Covid pandemic has left an indelible mark on the world of work; with flexible, hybrid working becoming the norm in many industries.  However, five years on, many employers are asking staff to return to working in the office – if not full time, then at least more often.  For example, companies such as Amazon, …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 23 April

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 Charity Commission has shared a new interactive tool for ‘Building Financial Resilience’. This asks a series of questions to help charities reflect …
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Setting up in the UK – support for US non-profits

At Bates Wells, we work with a wide range of international organisations, to support you in navigating the English landscape for charities and non-profits. In the face of increasing concerns about the regulatory landscape in the US, we are working with a number of clients to explore their options for maintaining resilience and mitigating risk …
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Event | London International Disputes Week: Defending international tort class actions in the London courts | 4 June 2025

As part of London International Disputes Week, we will be co-hosting a hybrid event with Henderson Chambers on Wednesday 4 June, from 9am – 11am. We are witnessing a rapid rise in new forms of international claims against London-based defendants, targeting supply chains, foreign subsidiaries, investors and NGOs. The London Courts are showing an increased …
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Bates Wells discusses Charitable Funds with Independent Schools Management Magazine

Laura Soley and Alice Faure Walker have published an article in the Independent Schools Management Magazine, April 2025 edition. Their article, “Unlock your funds” gives top tips for independent schools on unlocking charitable restricted and endowment funds for broader use, including changing purposes of funds and accessing capital of endowments.This article should be timely, as we’ve …
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Whistleblowing – A cautionary tale

We recently acted for the Royal College of Nursing assisting them successfully to defend an unfounded whistleblowing claim brought by their former Chair of Council. The Bates Wells team was led by Paul Seath and Jasmine Sudworth. This case study highlights the potential pitfalls where claimants fail to raise concerns in the correct way, where …
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