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Charities and investments – the revised investment guidance (CC14)

The Charity Commission published its revised investment guidance for charity trustees (CC14) on 1 August 2023. Now the dust has settled, this article explores how we got here, the key takeaways, and our experience of what charities have been doing in practice. How we got here The Commission was planning changes to its investment guidance …
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Legal Update from the Public Law team: FDA Judicial Review challenge of the Rwanda Act 2024

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration Bill) has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament and received Royal Assent. The Government accepted only limited amendments to the legislation during its passage. Accordingly, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 (“the Act”) makes a statutory declaration that Rwanda is a “safe” country, which …
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The SLAPP Bill: is enough being done to protect campaigners?

In recent years, we have seen a rise in strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) being used to intimidate and silence journalists, charities, and campaigners (SLAPPS claims usually centre on privacy or defamation). These aggressive legal proceedings misuse the litigation process to suppress freedom of expression and discourage public criticism. The introduction of the Strategic …
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Bates Wells’ and Fair Game CIC’s goal to amend the Football Governance Bill

Bates Wells has been working with Fair Game CIC to amend and improve the Football Governance Bill, which will introduce the Independent Football Regulator. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to craft a regulatory regime which puts the interests of fans, people and the planet at the heart of footballing governance. The original Bill was lacking …
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Charity Commission inquiries: Top takeaways for charities

What are the key areas of concern being investigated by the Charity Commission at the moment? We have drawn out the top five from the Commission’s statutory inquiry reports for last year and shared some tips for avoiding those issues in your charity. Dominant trustees and CEOs There is nothing wrong with a charity having …
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Pioneers Post: Philip Kirkpatrick comments on Anglian Water’s purpose-led business model

Philip Kirkpatrick, Partner in our Charity & Social Enterprise team, has spoken with Pioneers Post about the positive impact that embedding social purpose into a company can have but the need for better accountability mechanisms to ensure the value of doing so in the long term. Anglian Water, a UK water utility company, amended its …
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Bates Wells Announces Partnership with Making the Leap to Support Aspiring Solicitor Apprentices

Bates Wells today announces that the firm has partnered with leading societal change charity, Making The Leap, on the provision of assessment centre preparation and support for aspiring solicitor apprentices. Candidates who have been invited to the firm’s competitive apprenticeship assessment centres have been offered the opportunity to join Making The Leap for two days …
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Ethics washing – top tips to help protect your charity

Ethics washing, greenwashing, bluewashing, ethical laundering, eco washing… the list of terms continues to grow, and with it grows the risk of charities coming under scrutiny if what they do doesn’t align with their stated values. Simple mistakes, inaccuracies or misleading claims can have big consequences, risking lasting reputational damage among key stakeholders, loss of …
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Climate change – it’s everyone’s fight

“Climate change” and “climate crisis” have become synonymous with young people and their futures. But climate change is happening right now. A problem with talking about climate change in terms of young people only, is that it gives energy companies, unscrupulous governments and others who wilfully contribute to climate change, a reason to kick the …
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Are you sleepwalking into significant liabilities in relation to UK based consultants?

Many US organisations appoint self-employed consultants to scope out the merits and practicalities of carrying out operations in the UK. While this often makes good sense, if a decision is subsequently taken to actively carry out those operations, the consultant is often the person who takes that on and so their role evolves. This evolution …
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Phasing out of Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and other paper-based residence documents: what you need to know

What is happening? For nearly a decade, migrants in the UK have been issued with a plastic ID card called a Biometric Residence Permit, which they can use to prove their residence rights – this is now all about to change. By the end of the year, the Home Office is seeking to phase-out physical …
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Has your organisation been affected by the FTX fallout?

If you’ve been following the news over the last few months, and in particular the last couple of weeks, you’ll have seen the headlines surrounding Sam Bankman-Fried – the co-founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange platform, FTX, who oversaw the high profile failure of the business that was initially said to have cost its clients …
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