Resources

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Drawing on lived experience: four questions for social enterprises

Hiring or consulting people with direct experience of the issues an organisation tackles is often seen as good equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practice. But there are a few things to consider to truly value and make the most of diverse life experiences. Samara Lawrence, Associate at Bates Wells, addresses four key questions for organisations …
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The Charities Act 2022, Explained: catch up on the full series

What does your charity need to know about the New Act? Our blog series untangles the key issues across a range of topics to pull out the points your charity should understand, action now and plan for. Catch up with the latest blogs in the series – we’ve included the expected implementation dates, but you …
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B Corps: Driving your purpose & impact

As the first law firm in the UK to certify as a B Corp, we bring first-hand insight and experience to our legal advice. Are you on the journey towards empowering your organisation to do business in a way that is values-driven, as well as profitable? As the first law firm in the UK to …
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We join the nation as it mourns the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

We join the nation as it mourns the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
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The importance of competition law compliance for trade associations and accreditation bodies

It’s well established that trade associations must comply with competition law – both in respect of their internal rules of membership and how they engage with their members and non-members. Investigations by competition regulators are however relatively rare. Earlier in the summer, the Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR), which has competition law as well …
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Law Firms and The B Corp Movement

B Corps are a group of businesses that are actively working to make business a force for good. They seek to address society’s greatest challenges and to build a more inclusive economy. To qualify for B Corp Status, companies must consider the effect of their decisions on all of their stakeholders: shareholders, staff, the wider …
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Charity investment: what do the latest legal developments mean for trustees?

The Butler-Sloss case clarifies current law surrounding ethical charity investment. More emphasis is now being placed on charity trustees to balance financial and non-financial considerations. The recent High Court Judgement recognises that potential conflicts with charitable objects could exist across the investment universe, however it is for trustees to use their own discretion to decide …
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Covid-19 Inquiry – Module 2 now open

On 31 August, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry announced the opening of its second investigation, which will look at the core political and administrative decision-making of the UK and devolved governments.  The second investigation is split into four parts: Modules 2, 2A, 2B, and 2C. Module 2 is concerned with the decision-making of the UK Government, …
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Response to the Charity Commission consultation on Annual Return changes

In June this year, the Charity Commission began consulting on a range of changes to its Annual Return, through which it hopes to gather more data about your charity. The consultation closed on 1 September 2022. A flexible approach The Commission says that it wants to make the Annual Return more flexible, so that it …
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Only one month to go until the transitional arrangements for right to work checks end on 30 September 2022

The change to the right to work checks is in line with the Home Office’s prioritisation of digitising the UK immigration system. Here are our three top tips for employers to consider now: From 1 October 2022 employers can no longer rely on the transitional right to work check arrangements brought in during to the …
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Setting up a corporate foundation

Setting up a charity connected to your business is a great way to amplify your company’s positive impact. We have done this ourselves (the Bates Wells Foundation works to support sustainable social change), and over the years we’ve helped numerous businesses – from SMEs to global corporations – to set up and manage their foundations. …
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Developing an investment policy that is in your company’s, and the climate’s, best interests – our practical steps

We recently acted for the successful claimants in the High Court case of Butler-Sloss v Charity Commission. The ground-breaking judgment approved the claimants’ decision to align their charities’ investments with the goals of the Paris Agreement to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, even where this involves financial risk by excluding a large part …
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