Charity Law

We work closely with major UK charities – aligning ourselves with each charity’s culture to help them optimise this vital source of income. We assist a number of charities, often working alongside their in-house teams, providing estate administration support and valuable reputational guidance.

We adopt a commercial and pragmatic approach to our work in the charity sector and we understand the unique position in which not-for-profit organisations operate. We are also aware that charities need to ensure that their operations are as streamlined as possible and that their legacies generate the optimum amount of cash for the front-line services for which they were intended.

We know that most charities rely on legacies for a very significant proportion of their income. As a result it is important that they are able to protect their bequests and optimise the income which the deceased intended them to have.

One of the key considerations for charities, when deciding on whether to defend a challenge to a will, is the possible effect that litigation may have on the reputation of the charity. Headlines for the wrong reasons are never helpful and can be catastrophic for charities both large and small. In order to help our clients to protect themselves as much as possible, we partner with experts in the field of reputation management who will advise from the outset, on the best course of action.

As part of our charity legacy management service, we are able to advise on a broad range of contentious matters including:

Our charity legacy management experience includes:

• Advising a national charity n defending a spousal claim for reasonable financial provision under the Inheritance Act, for a legacy worth in excess of half a million pounds.
• Advising a national charity in connection with a claim against Executors in relation to the sale of a share portfolio, and a consequent CGT liability which could have been avoided.
• Successfully defending a challenge to the validity of a will on behalf of a large regional charity.
• Advising a large national charity on a challenge to a will on the basis of lack of testamentary capacity.
• Advising a national charity in relation to costs claimed by the executors of an estate.