At Fisher Jones Greenwood, we know and understand the difference between corporate and charity law and how crucial the right advice is to our clients.
As a result, these are the top 10 reasons that you should consider instructing Fisher Jones Greenwood as your charity Solicitors, to help with your charity requirements, regulation, and governance needs:
- Expertise – at Fisher Jones Greenwood we have significant expertise in dealing with charities of all types, shapes, and sizes. Whether you are an incorporated charity, a CIO, or an unincorporated trust, we can assist you with all of your charity requirements;
- Precision – instructing a Solicitor to assist you with your charity’s legal needs will ensure you get precise and tailored advice for your charitable entity. We here at Fisher Jones Greenwood appreciate that each charity is unique and has its own culture, objects, and legal requirements. We can, therefore, ensure our advice is tailored to suit your charity’s legal needs and provide solutions for your most pressing requirements;
- Streamlined Processes – a significant benefit of utilising a Solicitor’s advice in relation to charities is that we can introduce you to the comprehensive systems (both online and in paper format) that are available to ensure your charity’s needs are processed and satisfied swiftly. Whether it be an online link and contact to the Charities Commission or internal checklists – Fisher Jones Greenwood has both avenues covered and ensure these are available to charity clients;
- Charity Set-Up & Incorporation – for those about to embark upon the journey of establishing and operating a charity, we can offer bespoke advice and even conduct the charity-incorporation process for you. Our experts in Charity Law can navigate the complex online incorporation process, answer the questions and provide the documentation required to satisfy the Charity Commission’s incorporation requirements so that your charity is established and operational as soon as possible;
- Conversion Advice – a new concept within the Charity field is that of the new Charitable Incorporated Organisations (or CIO) which allows charities incorporated with this status, to benefit from limited liability and streamlined regulation (solely at the Charities Commission and not also at Companies House) whilst enjoying various other benefits that were previously only available to incorporated charitable companies. If your charity is already incorporated or operational, fear not – we here at Fisher Jones Greenwood have significant expertise in converting existing charities to this new status;
- Personnel Advice – whatever combination of trustees, directors, members, employees, volunteers, or patrons your charity has, we can advise you on their remit, roles, responsibilities, and requirements – so that you know and they know, exactly what is expected of them, not only from a legal perspective but also to ensure compliance and good internal governance;
- Governance – this is often the elephant in the room that nobody really knows how to address. Is your current charity’s constitution fit for purpose? Is it up to date and compliant with the latest Charities legislation and model constitutions from Companies House? Moreover, is your current format of constitution the best suited for your charitable entity? Instead of that historic trust deed, should you have a new set of articles or a comprehensive constitution? Even if your constitution is up to date and working well, have you considered the benefits that come with having an internal Instrument of Governance? Do your trustees do what your governance documents say they should do? We here at Fisher Jones Greenwood can assess your charity’s needs for its internal and external regulation and governance – advising you of any areas of concern, deficiencies, or alternatives to meet your specific needs and requirements;
- General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) – the GDPR introduces a new regime concerning how data must be handled and processed and places enhanced requirements upon all entities, including charities. Fisher Jones Greenwood can advise upon the precise implications of the GDPR for your specific charity’s operation and requirements, devising policies, procedures and generally assisting you to ensure compliance with this new statutory requirement;
- Specialisms – Charity Law does not operate in a vacuum. All charities over time need a range of legal services including intellectual property protection for your charity name, acronym or logo, property work (both commercial and residential), employment advice, as well as advice regarding wills and probate, to secure the longevity of your charity; and
- Ongoing Support – once we have assisted you with your matter, we appreciate that a lot of charities require further ongoing support. Whether this be updating charity records or trustees and members, filing new and updated constitutions, or providing formal board meeting minute and resolution templates, we here at Fisher Jones Greenwood can assist. We value our relationship with all our charity clients and can provide ongoing assistance for as long as is required.
If you are looking for advice on any charity law matter, please contact us on 01206 700113 or email [email protected].