Amy Carter

Senior associate | London


Client services contact Wendy Regan

Amy is a senior associate in the charities and philanthropy team.

Clients describe her as being "superb to work with", "very through" and "very able and helpful" (Legal 500). 

She advises charities, philanthropists and businesses on charity law and commercial matters, as well as advising a range of not-for-profit and for-profit educational institutions. 

Amy works with all types of charity, including charitable trusts, charitable companies, Royal Charter bodies and unincorporated associations. She advises many of the UK’s most loved charities in relation to grant-making, fundraising (including society lotteries and major gifts), disposals of land and commercial contracts, as well as governance, corporate and trust advice. She also advises charities, including in the education sector, on mergers and restructurings.

Amy advises on engagement with the Charity Commission both at the regulatory engagement stage and the permissions stage. She regularly works alongside our property team to advise on the charity aspects of complex property developments involving charities and their subsidiary companies.

Amy regularly advises on the establishment of new charities – both operational charities and grant-making foundations.  She is involved in the structuring of private foundations to take account of donors’ complex tax profiles and works closely with the firm’s leading private client and tax team to provide integrated advice. She advises on major gifts to UK charities, as well as commercial fundraising partnerships benefiting UK charities.

Her advice regularly includes an international element, such as the recognition by HMRC of European charities for UK tax reliefs or the creation of dual qualified US-UK charities. She has recently advised on a large complex cross-border restructuring which saw a significant offshore grant making trust migrate to England and Wales.

Amy is named as a Rising Star for Charities and Not-for-Profit work in Legal 500. 

She is passionate about the charity sector and its role within society. She regularly responds to sector consultations on behalf of the firm or as part of the Charity Law Association; most recently, Amy coordinated the firm's response to the Charity Commission's consultation on changes to the Annual Return. 

Amy spent 5 months on secondment to the in-house legal team at one of the firm’s clients, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). She advised on a range of issues including fundraising regulation, data protection, gambling law, commercial contracts, licensing and corporate governance.

She is currently a trustee of a leading disability charity which provides a range of support to disabled and disadvantaged people, their families and carers, including care services and accommodation. As well as being a trustee, she is a member of the Governance and Compliance Committee and the Culture and Remuneration Committee. She has previously been a trustee for two charities in the mental health space: one supporting children and families across Luton, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire and the other supporting student mental health.

Me in a minute

I love the variety of the work and how passionate the people I work with are about the causes they support

Having volunteered my way through University; including running and taking calls for a student helpline, and completing an internship in community fundraising with one of the UK's biggest charities - I always knew that I wanted to advise charities and those looking to establish and support them. Being part of the charities team means that I get to spend every day helping charities make a difference. I love the variety of the work and how passionate the people I work with are about the causes they support.

Track record

Charitable collaboration agreement

Advising a household name charity on a collaboration agreement with the Government to deliver significant benefit for beneficiaries and their families.

University acquisition

Advising a global education group on the acquisition of a UK university and subsequent registration with the Office for Students, application for university title and degree awarding powers.

Family foundations

Advising on the establishment of a number of 'family foundations' including working with our private client team to provide integrated tax advice

UK charity work

Advising on the amendment of the Royal Charters and Bye-Laws for a number of the UK's longstanding charities

Offshore charitable trust

Advising on the migration of an offshore charitable trust to England and Wales

Charity aspects of property development

Advising on the charity aspects of a property development on land held by a faith based organisation as permanent endowment

Learned society

Advising a leading learned society on the terms of a multi-million pound grant funding agreement with the UK Government

Talks

  • Legacy Labyrinth

  • Association of Anaethetists of Great Britain - Governance Forum

  • NCVO, Writing and amending your charity's governing document (November 2022)

  • Talks for the Governance Forum, a group of learned societies

Admissions

  • England and Wales, 2015


Education

  • University of Exeter, LLB (Hons) Law and French Law

  • Universite de Rennes I, France, Masters in European Law

  • BPP University, Legal Practice Course


Languages

  • English

Memberships

  • Charity Law Association


Key dates

  • Year joined: 2013