Solicitors

This Provider Services resource lists philanthropy advisors' services, their unique selling point and the fees they charge, in their own words.

In our Quick guide, advisors have listed the services they offer. We have presented this in a matrix format so you can easily compare providers.

Bates Wells & Braithwaite

Our service

Bates Wells and Braithwaite is a specialist and personally committed firm of solicitors providing a full range of services in relation to charities and social enterprises. We provide expert advice on the establishment of public benefit organisations and project vehicles and the terms of donations, funding agreements and collaborations. We are especially involved in the development of social enterprise and were founders of the idea of the Community Interest Company, which allows for community benefit equity investment. We advise in the context of relevant tax issues and the international dimension and are generally deeply engaged with the public benefit sector.

USP

We are lawyers who have actively chosen to work and enjoy working as specialists for public benefit clients. We recruit very able, committed and loyal solicitors on that basis. We have 30 specialist charity and social enterprise lawyers and the same number again providing particular legal services (employment, property, intellectual property etc) to the same clients. We have clients across the full spectrum of public benefit activity and have a particular focus on innovative projects (for example, Charity Bank, The Fairtrade Foundation and the Eden Project), serviceproviding social enterprise and the delivery of public services.

Fee

The charges for legal work depend very much on the particular issues. We charge by reference to statutory factors, including the most tangible – time engaged. Each solicitor has a scale of hourly rates for this purpose that are lower for public benefit and for smaller clients. We provide estimates of cost at the outset of and ongoing information during each matter. We can agree particular ways of charging to suit the client and are well used to the necessity of working within constrained budgets.

www.bateswells.co.uk

Farrer & Co

Our service

Farrer & Co advises wealthy individuals, international families and corporate bodies on the setting up, funding and operation of charitable and philanthropic structures. Our service includes setting up giving programmes and funding arrangements, good governance, tax and investment structures.

USP

Farrer & Co has enormous experience and a long tradition of advising wealthy individuals and of operating in the philanthropic and charitable sector. We provide a holistic and integrated approach to all aspects of structured philanthropy and have a deep understanding of the wider charitable and voluntary sector which we feel is a pre-requisite in providing philanthropy services. We have also advised on a number of cutting-edge social investments as well as philanthropic financial products and giving structures.

Fee

We discuss fee structures with clients at the outset and will generally charge at our standard hourly rates unless fixed or capped fee arrangements are put in place.

www.farrer.co.uk

Maurice Turnor Gardner

Our service

We have unparalleled expertise in the provision of creative technical advice on innovative cross-border charitable structures and the development of sophisticated financial products for the charitable sector. We also provide advice on traditional charity law and philanthropic matters and sophisticated tax advice. We have a unique practice specialising in chartered corporations, and our clients in this sector include many of the best known professional institutes, universities and other institutions established by Royal Charter.

USP

Our philanthropy advisors bring expertise in commercial and cross-border matters gained when we were the private client team at leading international commercial law firm Allen & Overy LLP. Our continuing association with Allen & Overy LLP enables us to draw on expertise in corporate, regulatory and banking advice.

Fee

Our fees are very much dependent on the nature of the transaction. We adopt a flexible, case-by-case basis approach to our fee structure and sometimes agree a fixed fee for a particular matter. On other occasions, we charge hourly rates which we believe are highly competitive in the marketplace.

www.mauriceturnorgardner.com

Withers

Our service

Withers advises both donors and those seeking to raise funds on the tax efficient structuring of charitable donations (often internationally) and the creation of appropriate vehicles to be used as family foundations (or operating charities). It provides a full range of legal services to individual and institutional clients.

USP

We have the largest private client practice of any law firm in the world and also advise many well-known charities. Our understanding of high net worth individuals and of charities gives us an awareness of donors’ philanthropic aspirations and what is possible. We provide our services on a cross-border basis.

Fee

Fees are generally charged on a time cost basis.

www.withersworldwide.com

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