Stone King LLP‘s charities offering is headed up in Leeds by Tom Murdoch, who is pioneer of the ‘Charitable Journalism Project’. The team has a wide range of strength in charity law, handling work spanning faith charity matters to Charity Commission investigations, and works with clients both nationally and within the local community. Additionally, the team has an active involvement with the Charity Law Association.
Charities and not-for-profit in Yorkshire And The Humber
Stone King LLP
Practice head(s):
Tom Murdoch
Other key lawyers:
Samuel Dowgill
Testimonials
‘I have been privileged to work with a number of people from Stone King. I have found them to be assiduous, helpful, insightful, constructive and – very importantly – always good listeners.’
‘I have worked with one individual in particular at Stone King (Tom Murdoch). He has gone out of his way to support, encourage, inform, structure, enable and ensure success in the projects that we have been working on together (gaining charitable status for local news organisations). I cannot speak highly enough of Tom, who demonstrates both a deep knowledge of the law and the ability to apply it exceptionally well on behalf of his clients (in this case the charitable body on whose board I sit).’
‘They have taken time to understand our issues and tailored their approach to our circumstances. Stone King have also been clear with their advice and challenged us when appropriate.’
‘Both Tom Murdoch and Sam Dowgill have been approachable, listen well and respond in a timely way.’
‘The firm uses a good thoughtful and consultative approach in its client interactions.’
‘Tom Murdoch has provided very sound advice that reflects his understanding of the practical realities of running a charity. He has continued to provide pragmatic advice.’
Key clients
Interim Managers of the Kantor Foundations
The Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Association of Tax Technicians
Old School Building Company (formerly Community Arts Umbrella)
Butterfly Conservation
A S Hornby Educational Trust
CASEwork Services CIC
Charitable Journalism Project
Spitalfields Historic Building Trust
Eastern Colleges Group
The Marist Fathers (Society of Mary) CIO
Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust
Work highlights
- Appointed by the Charity Commission as Interim Managers of the Kantor Charitable Foundations, responsible for operating the charities in place of the previous trustee body.
- Advising The Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Association of Tax Technicians on a wide range of governance and operational matters.
- Assisting the Bradford-based Community Arts Umbrella, now known as Old School Building Company, with the transfer and redevelopment of a community centre.
Wrigleys Solicitors LLP
Malcolm Lynch leads the charities team at Wrigleys Solicitors LLP in Leeds, which works locally, nationally and internationally, advising a range of clients from grassroots organisations to corporate charitable foundations. The groups workload includes advising on charity governance issues, impact investment work and community benefit society matters, and the team works with key sector bodies, including the Charity Commission. Nat Johnson has particular experience regarding faith-based charities, and Chris Billington leads on education work. Clare Lawrence is also recommended.
Practice head(s):
Malcolm Lynch
Other key lawyers:
Peter Parker; Nat Johnson; Clare Lawrence; Chris Billington
Testimonials
‘The team have always gone the extra mile to assist our trusts and trustees. We have felt to be in the hands of experts.’
‘My experience of working with Wrigleys was they provided a timely, measured response to questions that were explained for me clearly. They helped me consider the appropriate response to some significant challenges and helped me balance competing risks.’
‘Clare Lawrence – empathetic and utterly professional. Working with her felt as if I had the best support I could have hoped for through very difficult situations. When the situations were at their most challenging Clare stood out.’
‘This practice is well versed in working for and with voluntary sector organisations. In addition their familiarity with the sector allows them to proffer solutions from sector relevant experience and example.’
‘Their technical expertise goes without saying; what stands them apart is the personable and bespoke approach that they take to each piece of work. They take time to get to know you, the organisation and team and so deliver solutions that are well considered and which fit.’
‘Peter Parker is our main contact and really is exceptional. He is very well informed, both in terms of our particular operating model, obligations and stakeholders as well as in terms of the wider sector. He is also always approachable available and responsive, and considered and clear.’
Key clients
City Mental Health Alliance
Youth Futures Foundation
Friends Provident Charitable Foundation
Poundland Corporate Foundation
Wales Council for Voluntary Action
Healthcare Workers Foundation
Yorkshire Tennis
Church Army
Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches
Sisters of the Cross and Passion
Work highlights
- Advising Poundland Foundation on charity governance (e.g. in respect of the Foundation’s relationship with Poundland Limited), advice on commercial participation and professional fundraising, and advice relating to the Foundation’s grants programmes.
- Advising City Mental Health Alliance CIC on contracts governing the organisation’s facilitative role in relation to the Global Business Collaboration For Better Workplace Mental Health, whose members include high profile international corporate entities.
Addleshaw Goddard
The charities offering at Addleshaw Goddard in Leeds is led by Pervinder Kaur, who is also office head and national head of private capital. The team has particular strength regarding Charity Commission investigations and inquiry work, and advises on relationships between charities and public government bodies. The firm’s corporate department is able to work with its charities team to provide well-rounded advice to its charity clients including banks, commercial clients and charitable trusts. Laura Woffinden is also recommended, specialising in advising large operational charities.
Practice head(s):
Pervinder Kaur
Other key lawyers:
Laura Woffinden; Yorke Eaton
Key clients
Bedingfield’s Trust
Leeds Beckett University
Hemingways Solicitors Limited
The charities team at Hemingways Solicitors Limited in Sheffield advises on a range of contentious and non-contentious matters, with a particular strength regarding advising on compliance with regulations, funding arrangements, and corporate governance issues. The group also accesses the firm’s corporate expertise to provide clients with a comprehensive service. Laurence Gavin leads the team and clients benefit from his ‘exceptional’ knowledge of the sector.
Practice head(s):
Laurence Gavin
Other key lawyers:
Ian Hemingway
Testimonials
‘Communication has been excellent. We have enjoyed really good legal advice but more than that, their wider experience of the processes has been such a massive help. It has felt like we are all part of a team.’
‘Laurence Gavin has been brilliant right from the start. His wide experience in the charity sector has been a great asset. We had a lot to sort out and he has quietly worked through the issues with us one at a time. It has been quite unnerving with so many changes to make that are beyond my experience and he has continued to reassure and explain issues while making sure we understood the risks as well. It hasn’t just felt like engaging a solicitor, it has felt like working alongside a great team member who feels just as passionately about supporting this charity as I do.’
‘The breadth of experience provides the client with in depth advice and support. The accessibility of the people and the personal approach also makes this practice stand out.’
Key clients
7 Hills Leisure Trust
Barnsley Community and Voluntary Services
Builders Merchants Federation
Inspire Trust
Key Fund Investments Limited
Sheffcare Limited
Sheffield Futures
Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust
Sheffield Museums Trust
The British Fluoridation Society Limited
Voluntary Action Barnsley
Work highlights
- Advising Key Fund on its participation in a number of funding programmes including the Regional Growth Fund, Northern Impact Fund, Local Access Fund and others, helping secure the continuing flow of matched funding to voluntary and community sector organisations and others across England and Wales.
- Advising Luxembourg-listed leisure operator Sheffield City Trust on new funding arrangements with Sheffield City Council.
- Advising youth services charity Sheffield Futures on the legal agreements required to transfer the liability under its pension scheme to Sheffield City Council.
Lupton Fawcett
Lupton Fawcett‘s ecclesiastical, charities and education team is led by both David Whitaker (ecclesiastical) and Chris Burns (charities and education). The team operates across Leeds and York, and works closely with the firm’s employment and property teams to provide a comprehensive service to clients, with a notable specialism in ecclesiastical work; the group counts the Province of York, the Diocese of York and the Diocese of Leeds as clients.
Practice head(s):
David Whitaker; Chris Burns
Key clients
Province and Diocese of York
Leeds Diocesan Board of Finance
The Grammar School at Leeds
Scarborough College
Parents and Friends of the Grammar School at Leeds
Work highlights
- Supporting the Leeds Diocesan Board of Finance on the full range of legal issues with a particular focus on ecclesiastical, property, charity and education advice.
- Supporting the Grammar School at Leeds and its supporting charities with a wide range of legal services including specialist charity law and charity property advice as well as employment, commercial services and debt recovery.
Mills & Reeve LLP
Mark Ashton heads up the Leeds charity team at Mills & Reeve LLP, with national head Neil Burton based between Cambridge and London. The team advises high-profile charities nationally and regionally on complex matters, with specific expertise regarding education charities. Newly promoted partners Rebecca Pallot and Andrea Newman lead on charity employment and real estate work, respectively.
Practice head(s):
Neil Burton; Mark Ashton
Other key lawyers:
Rebecca Pallot; Andrea Newman
Testimonials
‘They’re very responsive and personable, showing a real understanding of our operations and objects. Experts from other areas are always on hand and we’ve had a great experience in that regard, including in relation to tax and litigation.’
‘Neil Burton and Mark Ashton are both very personable and show a good, practical understanding of charity law and the latest developments at the Commission. They’re always willing to help with any issue and focus on practical advice.’
Key clients
The Brothers of Charity
The Canal & River Trust
The Henry Smith Charity
Prince’s Trust
The Institution of Fire Engineers
University of Hull
University of Huddersfield
Work highlights
- Appointed in 2022 on a full service appointment in respect of The Children’s Trust.
- Advising St Dunstan’s Educational Foundation on a range of charity and wider matters.
Rollits LLP
Gerry Morrison heads up the Rollits LLP charities team in Hull, which has particular strength regarding academies, land transactions, Charities Act procedures, and the incorporation of charities. The team delivers trustee training through the Smile Foundation Trustee Academy, and is a panel firm for the Almshouse Association.
Practice head(s):
Gerry Morrison
Other key lawyers:
Keith Benton; Harriet Wheeldon
Key clients
EMIH Limited (The Deep)
The Holbeck Charitable Trust
Hull College Group
Family Fund Trust
The North York Moors Historical Railway Trust
Goodwin Development Trust
Pickering and Ferens Homes
Scarborough and District Mencap
York RI
Beverley Consolidated Charity
Cosmo Housing Limited
Rooted in Hull
Haven Methodist Care
Work highlights
- Advising Pickering and Ferens Homes on the incorporation of charity trustees.
- Advising York RI on the charity de-merger and creation of three new charities to receive transfers of assets and undertaking.
- Advising Lost Chord UK on its registration with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and amendment of Articles of Association.
Schofield Sweeney
Andrew Hurst leads Schofield Sweeney‘s charities offering in the region, which operates out of Leeds and Bradford. The team has particular expertise in the education sector, specifically regarding the charitable status of academy trusts. Its workload includes advising on the availability of charitable status for not-for-profit organisations, the incorporation of charities, and development and governance issues. Founding partner Chris Schofield also lends his expertise to the team.
Practice head(s):
Andrew Hurst
Other key lawyers:
Chris Schofield
Key clients
Bradford Culture Company Limited
Knaresborough Old Peoples Welfare Association
The Stevenson Charitable Trust CIO
Saloman Foundation
Actually Education
National Children’s Centre
Penny Appeal
Northern Star Academies Trust
The Basildon Academies
South Westmorland Multi Academy Trust
The Adnan Jaffery Academy Trust
Peak Edge
AIM Academies Trust
South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust
Cumbria Education Trust
Furness Education Trust
Changing Lives Learning Trust
Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust
The Crossley Heath School Academy Trust Limited
Watergrove Trust
Bronte Academy Trust
St Mary’s Academy Trust
SHARE Multi Academy Trust
Ashville College
Work highlights
- Advising Knaresborough Old Peoples Welfare Association on its incorporation as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
- Advising The Stevenson Charitable Trust CIO on the formation and establishment of a high-value grant-making charity and its registration as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) at the Charity Commission.
- Carrying out a governance review for National Children’s Centre, including a review of and report on the charity’s Articles of Association.
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP
Emma Moody leads the charities team at Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP from Newcastle, which has gained Mark Honeywell from Lupton Fawcett to bolster the Leeds-based team. The team has particular strength regarding faith-based charities, carrying out work for a range of cathedrals nationally. Katie Dawson is also recommended, with experience regarding religious and educational trusts.
Practice head(s):
Emma Moody
Other key lawyers:
Mark Honeywell; Katie Dawson.
Key clients
BBC Children in Need
Dogs Trust
York Minster
Mental Health Concern
Pocklington School
Donisthorpe Hall
NESTA Challenges
National Energy Action
Absolute Return for Kids (ARK)
Aysgarth School
Derby Cathedral
NCFE
HCT Group
Leeman Road Millennium Trust
Mental Health Matters
Leicester Cathedral
Work highlights
- Supporting a number of cathedrals as panel firm for the Church Commissioner on the implementation of the Cathedrals Measure 2021.
- Advising National Energy Action, which aims to alleviate fuel poverty among all members of society, particularly those who are vulnerable and/or disadvantaged.
- Advising Mental Health Matters on a number of areas, including in relation to engagements with service users and commissioning bodies, and on the management of safeguarding incidents.
Andrew Jackson Solicitors LLP
Andrew Jackson Solicitors LLP‘s charities team is jointly led by Daniel Hammond and Kevin Webster. The team draws on its expertise in a broad range of work from corporate to property law to advise local and regional clients on charitable matters, with particular experience in the incorporation of charitable organisations.
Practice head(s):
Daniel Hammond; Kevin Webster
Testimonials
‘Andrew Jackson have an holistic approach to client service and care that is very helpful and reassuring. They are close to their clients and make a point of understanding the underlying challenges and environment within their industries.’
Key clients
The Alcohol & Drug Service
Boothferry Housing Association
Hull IVF Trust
St Paul’s Amateur Boxing Academy
The Viola Trust
MV Ross Revenge (Home of Radio Caroline) CIO
Work highlights
- Advising The Viola Trust in relation to its charitable activities.
- Advised a number of unincorporated playing field/ recreation ground charities on amendments to objects clauses and in relation to updating their constitutional documents.
- Advised a number of existing charities in a variety of sectors on their conversion from unincorporated charities to charitable incorporated organisations.
McCormicks
Peter McCormick leads the Harrogate-based charities team at McCormicks, offering advice to high-profile charities with focuses ranging from sports to nature. Working closely with the firm’s private client and corporate and commercial teams, the practice offers a range of expertise to clients, with notable experience supporting charities with their creation and registration with the Charities Commission, and providing continual advice regarding governance and development issues.
Practice head(s):
Peter McCormick
Testimonials
‘The team at McCormicks are always able to respond to our issues. They react quickly and engage in a clear and thorough manner explaining complex issues well whilst providing appropriate levels of support.’
‘Everyone is friendly and efficient. They respond clearly to questions and provide appropriate advice with follow-up as needed.’
Key clients
Harrogate International Festivals
John Strutt Centre for Parrot Conservation, John Strutt Memorial Foundation, John Strutt Conservation Foundation, The John Strutt Charity
The Premier League Charitable Fund
War Memorial Trust
The Football Foundation
The Helen Feather Memorial Trust
The Harrogate Operatic Players
The Royal Horticultural Society
The Outward Bound Trust
Yorkshire Agricultural Society
Rydale Special Families
Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust
Work highlights
- Continuing to advise The Estate of the late John Herbert Strutt on the complex estate and the associated trusts and charities with regards, in particular, to the proposed future development and/or sale of various properties within the residuary estate.
- Advising War Memorials Trust on a wide range of matters including the drafting of new governing documentation and advice regarding the charity’s relocation of premises in London.
- Providing a full service to The Premier League Charitable Fund with regards all commercial and charitable arrangements between the charity, its funding partners and specialist service providers.