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Charities

Our specialist Charities Team delivers practical, commercial advice to a broad range of charities, supported by a deep understanding of the sector. 

Our cross-disciplinary Charities Team advises a broad and full range of charities, including Royal Charter and household names on all aspects of charity law, including formation, restructuring, mergers and collaborative arrangements, trading and tax, governance, fundraising, commercial arrangements, investment powers, property transactions, legacy disputes, and regulatory matters. 

Flexibility and collaboration are at the heart of our approach. We have a strong service ethos, based on close working relationships with our clients and their professional advisers. We have detailed sector knowledge and expertise to advise on all aspects of your constitutional, governance and operational needs ensuring that you receive consistently sector-specific and value-for-money advice. 

The team is large enough to include dedicated charity property specialists who deal with a wide range of matters in the complex area where charity law and property law overlap, including property transactional work, but also compliance with charity law, good decision-making practice and advice on permanent endowment, designated land and Charities Act compliance. 

We also regularly advise charity trustees on their legal duties and responsibilities and assist and support our charity clients through disputes and other difficult circumstances where Serious Incident Reports might be required, or Charity Commission inquiries are received. 

Our Experience

Listed below are a few examples of matters we have been involved in:

2023 – Present: National Children’s Bureau

Birketts’ Charities Team has advised the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) in securing the transfer of Research in Practice to NCB from another organisation. NCB works to champion the rights of children and young people in the UK. A leading children’s charity, NCB takes the voices of children to the heart of government, bringing people and organisations together to drive change in society and deliver better childhoods for every child.

Ongoing: High Performance

Birketts’ Charities Team has advised High Performance, a renowned platform borne from the award-winning High Performance podcast, to launch a new foundation. The foundation, named the High Performance Foundation, has been launched to help young people around the globe develop the skills and tools they need to build resilience today so they can thrive tomorrow.

Barnardo’s

Birketts Charities Team has advised Barnardo’s on securing a £1.6million grant to run a pilot project delivering an innovative new intervention in the UK. We advised on both the Grant Agreement and the subcontract, the first draft of which was prepared by a US subcontractor and required significant negotiation. Barnardo’s support vulnerable children and young people through front line services addressing their health, wellbeing and safety needs.

The breadth of knowledge held by the team is clearly a differentiator. I have worked with a Liz Brownsell in particular on a number of cases and she is able to relate to each client and understand their needs and any legal pitfalls they must consider, adding value through advice at every interaction. This approach is instilled across her team and allows Birketts to stand out in this sector.

Legal 500 [UK 2025]

Additional Resources

Charity Insights

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For general enquiries please call +44 (0)808 169 4320 or send a message from our Contact us page.