Spotlight 2022

In November 2022, our annual Spotlight conference took place at the Royal Society of Arts and was hosted by Zaiba Malik, Founder of Coppergate Communications and award-winning journalist. Watch the panel sessions on demand and access bitesize legal updates below.

Panel sessions

Power, participation and privilege

How can charities ensure that the voices of those with relevant life experience are being heard when strategies are set?

During this panel, we discussed inclusive approaches to governance, participatory decision-making, and whether a truly equitable structure is possible within a traditional charity setup. Our panellists included Shameem Ahmed (Founder, Black Equity Organisation) and Jason Arthur (Chief Executive, Mission 44), hosted by Samara Lawrence (Bates Wells).

Charity investments after Butler-Sloss

Our panellists Geraud de Ville de Goyet (Chief Executive Officer, Barking & Dagenham Giving), Susan Seymour (formerly of Quakers in Britain’s national investment committee) and Luke Fletcher (Partner, Bates Wells) explore the ground-breaking Butler-Sloss judgment which clarified current law surrounding ethical charity investment.

Getting your property strategy fit for a sustainable future

The pandemic, hybrid working, the climate emergency and the current economic crisis have all left charities considering what they really need from their premises – now and in the future. This session covered strategy considerations, relevant legislation and sustainable financial solutions and featured Bates Wells’ William Scott and Sung-Hyui Park.

Charities, ESG and the cost of living crisis

As charities face spiralling costs and higher pressure on services, how can a balance be achieved with the demands of pursuing an ESG agenda? And what are the reputational risks?

Our panellists Chris Sherwood (former Chief Executive, RSPCA), Lindsay Boswell (former Chief Executive, FareShare), Lawrence Simanowitz (Partner, Bates Wells) and Angela Monaghan (Purpose and Impact Manager, Bates Wells) explore these questions and more in the final panel session of the day.

Extra resources

Charity Law update – watch on demand

Livia Velicu, Associate in our Charity and Social Enterprise team, provides a whistlestop tour of key legal updates for charities and social enterprises from the past year including charity investments after Butler-Sloss and the Charities Act 2022.

Employment Law update – watch on demand

Victoria Cook, Senior Associate in our Employment team, breaks down a range of interesting Employment Law cases over the last year and what’s on the horizon for Employment Law for charities.

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