Bates Wells wishes to support organisations in the charity and social enterprise sector during this period of social and economic uncertainty.  We are offering a free 30 minute consultation to help guide you through some of the challenges you face.  As part of that offering we have implemented a Fair Usage Policy to ensure we can offer support to as many organisations as possible.

Your participation with the service

  1. The service is only available to provide guidance to organisations within the charity and social enterprise sector.  For others outside of these sectors please get in touch by using our contact form.
  2. We wish to assist as many organisations as possible and so please only use the service once for any particular issue or related issue.  We will prioritise queries from those organisations using the service for the first time.  Therefore, if you have used the service previously, we may be unable to assist you again.
  3. Our online form has a section for you to provide a summary of the query you would like to discuss with us.  We need sufficient information to be able to direct your query to the person most suitable but don’t need you to put in all of the details relating to your issue.  It is usually more helpful for us to discuss the finer details during your consultation.

What you can expect from us

  1. In the 30 minute consultation we will provide you with general guidance about the law and/or direct you to free online resources which may also provide you with the support you require.  This is not a substitute for formal legal advice you may require, given in the context of full information, or a detailed evaluation of the specific course of action you should take, provided under a properly defined engagement with Bates Wells.
  2. Your matter may be too complex for this service.  If it is, we will inform you of this and advise of a suitably qualified person in our firm who could assist you outside of the consultation service.
  3. If you require further advice on the matter following your consultation we can provide you with information about the work we would need to do to assist you and our likely charges for such work.
  4. The consultation will be scheduled during our normal business hours unless we agree alternative arrangements with you.
  5. As part of the consultation we are not able to consider or draft any documentation or other written communications. Our guidance will be provided verbally and not in writing.
  6. Where we are obliged or constrained by certain professional, legal or regulatory duties or obligations we may not be able to accept your enquiry and may not be able to share the nature of such obligations or provide you with reasons as to why we are unable to assist.
  7. We will only keep records of your consultation for as long as they are required, which in most circumstances, if you do not require further advice from Bates Wells will be for a period of 6 months.