Charities

Lawyers advising the charitable, not-for-profit, and social enterprise sector cover a vast area of legal ground.  The sector (which is sometimes referred to as the ‘third sector’) includes charities providing frontline services, grant-making foundations, quasi-public bodies, community interest companies, housing associations, co-operatives, sports clubs, students unions and faith-based entitles.  The lawyers working with these bodies support every aspect of the sector’s activities, which are as broad and varied as the activities of the commercial sector.  In terms of legal areas, the advice can encompass equity and trusts, company law, employment law, contract law, ecclesiastical law, property law and public law, as well as charity-specific law.

“It was a light bulb moment!” From the day Hayley started her training contract and was placed in a charities seat, she has never looked back. During her law degree, the charities sector was only briefly covered, so she’d never considered it as a practice area. Initially, Hayley was looking to join a law firm with a strong private client offering and was drawn to Wrigleys Solicitors LLP after extensive research using legal directories. She’d always envisioned herself as a solicitor in a less commercial practice area and charities turned out to be a natural fit!

From bishops to butterfly conservation

So, what does the work of a charities lawyer look like? Hayley notes: “It's about as close as you get to being a generalist while still specialising in a particular area because you have to have an understanding of trust law, contract law, company law and regulatory law, but you have the chance to find your niche.” She mainly works in charity governance, noting, “my work tends to involve setting up charities, looking at different structures, amending their governing documents and liaising with regulators like Companies House and the Charity Commission”.

At the outset of her career, Hayley started by working on Charity Commission registration applications, which was a great way to initially immerse herself in the sector.  As she’s progressed, her work continues to involve dealing with the Charity Commission on a regular basis – either helping clients that need to obtain consents or where the Charity Commission has intervened with a particular charity. 

Hayley loves working with such a diverse range of organisations because “without exception, every single client that we work with is really passionate about their charity and the work that it's doing.” This means that everyday is a learning experience. She explains: “You get so much variety and learn about all sorts of things that you wouldn't have done otherwise. This morning I've been looking at an animal sanctuary, but the next job on my list relates to a building that's got historical and religious significance.” If you’re looking for a practice area that offers a rich tapestry of experiences and challenges, charities might be the perfect fit for you!

Hayley says that there’s always something interesting going on in the team too: “Somebody might be working with a bishop at one end of the scale, someone else dealing with a working men's club and then another team member working with a butterfly conservation charity. That's my favourite bit!”

New legislation and boundary pushing ventures

Each organisation has unique needs and requests, but Hayley finds that the most intriguing challenges arise when a client truly aims to push boundaries. She explains: “There's a list of charitable purposes in the Charities Act, including relief of poverty, education, religion, animal welfare, amateur sport and any other purposes that could be analogous.” Charities that push the boat out and aim to do something new often fall under this final purpose. Hayley notes: “When you register a new charity that really pushes boundaries, that's a real highlight.”

On top of this, it's a very exciting time to get involved in the third sector at the moment! Hayley mentions that, while charity law is usually quite slow-moving (the sector itself can adapt very quickly), there’s currently a lot of new legislation and guidance coming into force. She says: “The last provisions of the Charities Act 2022 came into force last year, so we're just starting to see the effects of that filtering through now and the new legislation beginning to be applied in practice. In 2025, we've also got the review of the Charity Governance Code, the review of the Code of Fundraising Practice and the review of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice, which is an accounting standard.” This means there’s going to be a lot of work in this area to help clients get to grips with the new rules and regulations!

Further change is also on the cards for the sector. Money is tight for a lot of charities: “The financial climate is obviously squeezing everybody, which impacts on charities’ funding and ability to find volunteers”. Hayley says that donations and funding are starting to be harder to come by, which means that “a lot of organisations are looking at how they can adapt and be more agile”. For many charities, this means considering collaborative working and mergers, which is proving to be a growing work area. She also notes that the government’s proposed Civil Society Covenant could bring about changes. She explains that the covenant is “effectively the agreement between the government and the third sector to try and bring them together and make sure they operate efficiently”.

Pathways to charity law

It’s clear that charities is a diverse and rapidly evolving practice area. Whether you're an aspiring charities lawyer or simply find this area exciting and want to learn more, you might be wondering what steps to take. Hayley highlights that, as well as typical skills like attention to detail, a charities lawyer needs to have “a real sense of empathy and an interest in learning”. There’s no better way to get a lay of the land than volunteering. Hayley adds: “Volunteering allows you to understand a charity from the inside out. A lot of people in the team have been volunteers, trustees or school governors. It’s also great for transferable skills, such as people skills and organisation, so I’d recommend it to any aspiring lawyer.”

Hayley also really recommends legal work experience if possible. She says: “There will be areas of law out there that you don't even know exist so try and experience as many as possible. The world is constantly changing and there will be new areas of law that will come along.” On your journey through legal practice areas, you’ll hopefully find something perfect for you – just like Hayley did!