Shoosmiths LLP’s national charities and not-for-profit team operates from Manchester. Practice co-lead Robert Nieri works exclusively on charity and social enterprise mandates, while co-lead Anna Lowe handles real estate matters for charities such as the Land Trust. David Mathias specialises in mixed-use regeneration schemes and statutory orders, with a particular focus on biodiversity net gain. The team also advises on governance, property portfolio reviews, and the use of technology to ameliorate rising operational costs.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The Shoosmiths charity team is high quality. The quality of their insight, their clients and the market position make them stand out from their competitors.'
- 'Rob Nieri is a fantastic charity lawyer. His understanding of current and emerging issues, along with his superb client base, make him stand out. He has a superb presence in the market and is widely known to be one of the leading charity lawyers around.'
- 'The team are very professional, with helpful and friendly people.'
- 'Robert provides excellent specialist advice, he is extremely knowledgeable and goes above and beyond. I would highly recommend Robert.'
- 'From the moment of our initial interaction with Shoosmiths, we were made to feel that we were in good hands. We were only a relatively small client but we were treated with respect and due care.'
- 'We were dealing with a time specific issue and as soon as I spoke with Robert Nieri at Shoosmiths, everything went smoothly. In the initial consultation, he asked all of the relevant questions so that we could hit the ground running. He was extremely knowledgeable about charity issues, pointed out any pitfalls and made sure that our application was substantial and air tight.'
Key clients
- Manchester Camerata Trust
- UNISON
- Gaddum Centre
- Embassy
- Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts
- The Land Trust
- Royal Exchange Theatre Company Limited
- Greater Manchester Youth Federation
- The Portico Library and Newsroom
- Rainbows Hospice
- TuVida
- Recyling Lives
Work highlights
Acted for UNISON to spin out the College of Operating Department Practitioners with a suitable corporate structure, to enable the college to relaunch as an independent professional membership body in 2025.
Acted for the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts on various corporate charity governance instructions, in particular revising a template governing document, and advising in respect of the recent acquisition by the client of a part of the Rothbury Estate.
Acted for Gaddum on a number of charity and commercial instructions, in particular regarding collaboration arrangements with other charities.
Lawyers
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Robert Nieri; Anna Lowe
Other key lawyers
David Mathias