Andrew is a Senior Associate in our Charities team.

His experience runs the breadth of charity governance, with particular expertise in working with, changing and updating ancient, complex and unique structures for a modern world. Andrew also leads our advice in connection with reporting incidents to the Charity Commission and their regulatory response.

He is familiar with issues around the recognition of charities: identifying whether or not a charity has been created - and the consequences; as well as supporting applications for registration as a charity involving novel purposes or ones with exacting criteria for registration. 

Andrew works closely with charities which are established by Royal Charter and Act of Parliament, or which have multi-layered structures including permanent endowment and designated (specie) land. Andrew can support trustees with advice, training and explanation of how the structures work: whether generally to refresh operational knowledge; or particularly to help with a new project or proposed transaction.

He can help local authorities or other land owners to review terms on which land was acquired to identify if there might be charitable trusts, impacting on how it is used, managed and regulated. He advises on the prospects of success for novel applications for registration as a charity as well as helping prospective charity founders to find the way through Charity Commission questions during registration applications. He can also advise charities on thresholds for reporting serious incidents to the Charity Commission and guide them through the Commission's published expectations and requirements for the timing and contents of reports. 

Andrew has worked in the field of charity law since 2005, including eleven years with the Charity Commission. During this time, Andrew has developed not only broad expertise across all charity regulation but also deep knowledge and extensive experience of ancient, complex or unusual charity structures, and how they can be made to work for today's world. 

His time with the Charity Commission enables him better to understand the regulator's point of view, helping to bridge gaps between different perspectives, helping effective communication between trustee and regulator in reports, requests and applications. Andrew is passionate about the voluntary sector, especially ensuring the legal framework which sets charity apart from other voluntary and philanthropic endeavor works to support charities as it should. 

Andrew is based in our Bristol office, but can support you nationally.

What you might like to know

Andrew is a keen home cook, but still struggles to find things to do with the courgettes from the garden and the eggs from his pet chickens.

On a Sunday morning, you sometimes catch him leading services at his local Methodist church.

Other teams Andrew works with

As well as the Charities team, Andrew also withs with the Regulatory Compliance, Information Law, Commercial Property, Employment and Commercial teams.