Across the world, the charity and voluntary sectors are under huge pressure. With, austerity measures squeezing, income inequality on the rise and the global economy shifting, non-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less.
As someone working in the charitable and non-profit sector, in addition to fighting for funds and resources, you are also striving to demonstrate your charitable impact and working hard to keep up with legal developments and stay ahead of the curve in the way that benefits your beneficiaries.
Complex organizations
We advise some of the largest operating charities in the world, for example we act for over 50% of the Top 50 charities in the UK. We help with the full range of issues for organizations of all shapes and sizes, from restructuring to compliance. We are particularly well placed to add value on governance, mergers, and major commercial projects. In today's pressured environment, this is where we can have the greatest impact on the success of your operation.
Thinking internationally
Several years ago we started thinking about how we could best support those of you working on a global basis, whether in a federation or network of partners, or with affiliates tied to a home institution. For some this is about global delivery of charitable outcomes and for others, all about raising funds globally. Being able to work with the maximum pool of donors available to you globally is clearly vital and so we have developed a real specialism for charities and philanthropists who want to fundraise or invest internationally. We pioneered the use of 'dual-qualified' charitable structures in the US, UK and Hong Kong and are the only firm able to establish and service those structures entirely in-house. Our team of US lawyers in London can also provide timely assistance on a range of US issues for non-US organizations. We have also successfully obtained European cross-border recognition.
Supporting the sector
Our client base includes 35% of The Sunday Times Giving List and we think our work with some of the world's foremost philanthropists gives us insight and connections of benefit to our charity clients. We have the largest team of lawyers in the world that focus on the process of creating, defending and receiving charitable legacies, and regularly help with complex charity disputes. We get actively involved in sector advocacy to try and ensure legislation and regulatory guidance reflects your needs and have built up useful connections at key regulators and sector bodies.
We have lots more news and information that you'll find informative and useful. Let us know what you're interested in and we'll keep you up to date on the issues that matter to you.
Our website will give you a flavour of the advice we provide - if you would like to talk to us for more information, please contact our client services team who will be happy to assist.