Charities & Education
At Warners we understand the challenges that charities and educational establishments can face. We have a dedicated team of solicitors who have experience in working in these sectors. Their individual expertise and experience is backed up by the wealth of knowledge we have throughout the firm. This means that we can also advise on employment law, intellectual property, data protection, property, contracts and other commercial matters.
We always aim to provide our clients with prompt, practical and cost effective legal advice. The key areas where we can help you are set out below.
Main services for educational establishments
- Development and sale of land
- Planning and environmental issues
- Leases
- Estate management
- Charity law and trusts
- Employment
- Contractual disputes
- Bespoke terms and conditions
- Intellectual property rights
- Defending claims from staff, students, customers and the public
Main services for charities
- Formation / registration with the Charity Commission
- Setting up charitable trusts
- Charity trustees’ powers, duties and liabilities
- Forming charitable companies
- [Tax planning / gift aid advice]
- Charity administration/governance and constitutional issues
Matters on which we have recently advised include
- Commision of charitable trusts into companies limited by guarantee
- Tonbridge Grammar School. The disposal of a parcel of land to a developer in exchange for the construction of a significant new teaching block
Associated Services
Team
Mark Davis
Mark has been a commercial property solicitor for many years. During this period he has helped a number of schools with their property issues, including the acquisition by governors of their school sites, ongoing matters such as leases to third parties, and the disposal of parts of school sites for development.
In addition, Mark is himself a governor of a grammar school in Tonbridge which itself has gone through a major redevelopment project and Mark has been a leading member of the committee masterminding the negotiations with the developer.
Liz Dolding
Liz is a commercial solicitor. Her work includes the formation and ongoing advice to charities on the constitutional side of charitable work. This includes advising on which structure the charity should take and transferring the assets from one charity to another. Liz has also helped one charity with its application for a lottery grant.
In her spare time, Liz does voluntary work with charitable organisations such as the British Red Cross Society and Sevenoaks & Tonbridge Conservation Volunteers as well as being involved in some local not for profit organisations.
Jane Bohill
Jane is a property solicitor who previously worked for a specialist charity law firm in their property department. Jane’s clients included large charity organisations with huge property portfolios to small charities leasing small business premises. Her work consisted of assisting with all aspects of freehold and leasehold commercial acquisitions and sales. This included drafting leases, agreement for leases and licences on behalf of both Landlords and Tenants to ensure compliance with the Charity Act. Jane also acted for Charity clients looking to obtain legal charges over their premises.
Jane also held seminars on Charity property transactions which were open to all charity personnel and their legal advisors.
Latest news
- Charity Loses in Attempt to Increase Share of Estate The RSPCA was unsuccessful recently in its bid to contest a will, pressing ahead to court proceedings with what was described as an ‘extremely weak’ case. The charity, which inherited two thirds of a millionaire’s estate...
- Charity Fails to Win Farm in Court - But Seeks Appeal After a bruising legal battle, which has cost more than £1.3 million in fees, a Yorkshire doctor has won the right to inherit her late parents’ farm, which is valued at £2.3 million. In 1993, Dr Christine Gill’s...
