Veale Wasbrough Vizards' charities practice has a national reach and we currently act for more than 700 charities. Our clients range from multi-million pound social enterprises to small local community groups and extend across the whole sector with a particular focus on charities in the Education and Healthcare sectors and also museums, almshouses and sport governing bodies.
We are experts in the field of charity law, governance and regulatory issues affecting charities in the Education and Healthcare sectors and also those with a focus on culture, sport and media activities. Our experience includes:
- advising on the duties, liabilities and responsibilities of charity trustees to the regulators, their stakeholders and the public
- bespoke training for charity trustees and assisting charities with risk and incident management
- all forms of charity constitutions including unincorporated trusts, charitable companies, community interest companies, Royal Charter corporations and organisations governed by statute
- the creation of charities and securing registration with the Charity Commission
- the acquisition and disposal of charity land, including mortgaging and the specific application of the Charities Acts to such transactions
- advising charity trustees on investments and primary purpose and ancillary trading
- reviewing and advising on the permanent endowment status of charitable assets and their application
- advising on mergers, federations and other collaborations between both charities and other bodies active within the third sector
- liaising with the Charity Commission and the Privy Council on behalf of our clients and making cases for regulatory intervention
- applying for and advising on Charity Commission Schemes and Orders and formal advice under s 29 Charities Act 1993
- the creation, funding and governance of trading subsidiaries
- advising on ex-gratia payments and trustee benefits and advising charity trustees on the restitution of unauthorised benefits and
- commenting on fundraising agreements, creating separate, subsidiary fundraising foundations and advising on other novel methods of raising funds.
In addition to this specific experience, Veale Wasbrough Vizards has over 50 lawyers who regularly advise charity clients across the whole range of law, including specialist advice in employment, property, commercial, intellectual property and tax advice.
We have produced the following detailed guidance notes on matters we have found to be particularly relevant to our charities clients.
- Setting up a new charity
- Legal structures for new charities
- Charitable companies disclosure requirements
- Trading by charities: tax issues
- Commercial participators
- Contracting with charities
- Gift aid
- Gifts of shares, securities and land to charities
- Tax efficient gifts to charities
- English and Welsh charities operating in Scotland.
Public benefit
Our Charities team also provide a range of services which will help charities to meet the public benefit test and address other issues raised by the Charity Commission in their recent public benefit assessments. Further information and detailed guidance documents can be downloaded from our dedicated public benefit pages.
