Charities and not-for-profit

If you are operating within the charity, voluntary or not-for-profit sector, changing legislation and ever-increasing regulations means there has never been a greater need for comprehensive legal advice.

Trustees are often required to adopt a commercial approach to the management of their charity.

To demonstrate sufficient ‘duty of care’, trustees should carefully consider the need for legal advice whenever key decisions are required.

Our charity lawyers can guide you through the complexities of charity law to help you effectively manage the reputation of your organisation in order to avoid the risk of personal liability.

Reliable legal advice for charities, voluntary and not-for-profit organisations

Our aim is to help you achieve your objectives by providing practical and cost-effective legal advice.

At Furley Page, we offer a complete service – from initial formation of the charity, to daily governance issues. We can also advise on strategic matters such as mergers and joint ventures.

Our charity lawyers can help take the worry out of key decisions so you can feel confident that your charity is heading in the right direction. We will also make sure that your organisation complies with The Charity Commission’s regulations.

If your charity is engaged in a dispute of any sort, we can help to resolve it whilst also ensuring that the trustees are able to protect the charity’s assets.

Choose Furley Page for advice on charity law

We are recommended by The Legal 500 and have a specialist team of lawyers with expertise in all aspects of charity law.

Our lawyers are members of the Charity Law Association and many act for local and national charities as trustees and officers.

We have expertise across the firm including employment, property and dispute resolution specialists.

Contact Aaron Spencer or Tony Chester to find out how we can help you.

Charity formation and structures

We can advise you on the best structure to adopt for your charity, the advantages of incorporation and the new Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) structure. We can draft your constitution and handle registration with the Charity Commission.

Governance and compliance

We provide assistance with the administrative running of charities; preparation and submission of annual accounts; formulation and review of policies; assistance with queries raised by the Charity Commission.

Disputed legacies

Trustees have a duty to protect charitable legacies. We can help deal with questionable Wills and obstructive executors and check estate accounts to ensure the fees and expenses are reasonable.

Charity mergers

We advise charities and not-for-profit organisations on mergers, including whether or not their plans are permissible, potential structures, dealing with the Charity Commission, due diligence, asset transfers, employees, registration and regulatory issues.

Incorporation

Incorporation can reduce the risk of trustees’ personal liability and simplify many operational aspects of running a charity. We can help incorporate trust-based charities, advising on structure, drafting the constitution, dealing with company formation and registration and the transfer of assets and activities from the old to the new.

Schools

We act for a significant number of independent schools with charitable status, advising in particular on employment law and issues, property issues and assisting with fee collection.

Contract review and drafting

Many charities do not have this expertise in-house, so reduce risk by having key contracts for the supply or purchase of goods and services properly drafted or reviewed.

Property and the Charities Act

We can assist with the acquisition and disposing of property (including leases and gifts) in compliance with the Charities Act and can offer advice on general property portfolio management.

Charity accounts

Charity Accounts must comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) enabling a consistent approach to accounting. We can prepare compliant accounts for your charity and deal with annual Charity Commission returns.

Taxation and charities

We advise on general charitable tax exemptions and various VAT related issues including property acquisitions and disposals and VAT recovery.

Almshouses

We act for a number of Almshouses in Kent. We can help modernise the management of the charity and advise Trustees on the standards of Almshouse Management.

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Our team accreditations

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