Charity Law

Our expert charity solicitors have wide ranging experience in working with local and national organisations in the third sector.

Charities frequently need advice encompassing a range of areas of charity law, and may have specific obligations under charity or company law depending on the type of charitable organisation. Our experts are experienced in advising in a range of issues affecting charities, including:

Claims affecting legacies
Disputes concerning the administration of estates
Administration of estates, including experience where the charity is acting as executor.
Charity structure, governing documents and Charity Commission registration
Property
Employment
Contracts
Dispute resolution
Fundraising & grants
Charitable trusts
Trustees duties and responsibilities

We support a variety of carefully selected charities through Will schemes and corporate fundraising activities. Our charities team are part of the following organisations:

The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
The Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists
The Charity Law Association
The Institute of Legacy Management

Examples of our charity law expertise:

Instructed by a large national charity (acting as executor) to administer a £1million+ estate
Administering an estate in which a large residuary gift of £1.6million was left to a local charity
Recovered £100,000+ for five charities following two letters to an executor who was failing to administer an estate correctly
Acting for national charities in defence of a spurious claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act, including recovery of costs
Preparing the governing documents, ‘objects’ of charity and liaising with Charity Commission to register a charitable foundation

For more help and advice in relation to charity law, please view our related articles below which are written by our expert charity solicitors.

Charities Act 2022

This has now received Royal Assent and the Charities Commission hope to have all the provisions in place by autumn 2023. It is hoped that the new act will cut much of the red tape currently in place leading to a reduction in time taken and money spent by charities and in particular smaller charities.

Contact our Charities team for all related enquiries today on 01202 525333 or email richard.smith@ellisjones.co.uk. You can also contact our Wills, Trusts and Probate team by emailing willenquiries@ellisjones.co.uk.