• With specific regulations governing the charity sector, it’s crucial that charities and not-for-profit organisations have access to reliable, expert legal advice.

    Our support can help you to navigate complex legislation and maintain a compliant, effective operation.

    Why choose our Charities team?

    Our specialist charity solicitors understand the demands facing both individuals and groups in this sector, and offer a full spectrum of advice to meet your needs.

    We support a wide variety of charity and not-for-profit clients, including religious organisations, education establishments, almshouses and the retired armed forces. We also work with a number of general charities in areas including educational special needs, animals and key demographic groups.

    We have experience of working with small start-up charities; large, national charities and all those in between. Several of our Charities team are also members of the Charity Law Association.

    Our efficiency, pragmatism and years of experience mean we will be able to deliver on your legal requirements and put your organisation’s needs first.

    Although we are competitive on price, our charity clients have told us that they stay with us for the quality of our legal advice, our commercial approach and the speed of our response.

    As a firm, we are also passionate about supporting the charitable sector. Each month, our Member Partners donate from their salaries to the Brachers Charitable Trust. The Trust supports the valuable work of numerous not-for-profit organisations across Kent, as well as further afield.

    We also practise what we preach through our volunteering and pro bono work with local and national charities. Many of our charity solicitors are trustees, supporting organisations such as Age UK, Blackthorn Trust, Dementia Friends, Five Acre Wood School, Kent Farmers Benevolent Fund and West Kent Mind.

    You can find out more about our charitable work in our corporate social responsibility information.

    Recognition of our expertise

    Our Charities team is highly ranked in the leading legal directory The Legal 500 2024, with Mary Rimmer recognised as a ‘leading individual’ in this area. Sarah Gaines and Christopher Eriksson-Lee have been recognised as ‘recommended lawyers’ in this area.

    The team’s expertise was cemented in 2014, when Brachers was appointed to the panel of the Charities Aid Foundation Bank, making us an approved supplier to support CAF and charities with banking and finance transactions.

    We are also a panel consultant for the Almshouse Association, which provides support to more than 1,600 independent almshouse member charities across the UK.

    In 2020, the firm was recognised for its charitable giving and community support work in the Kent Law Society Awards, where we won the Community Award. The firm and Partner Mary Rimmer were also shortlisted at the Dementia Friendly Kent Awards 2019.

    Mary has further been recognised by the Alzheimer’s Society as a ‘dementia friends champion’. By March 2021, Mary had trained more than 1,100 people in local schools and the business community to be ‘dementia friends’, as well as training the majority of Brachers staff.

    Find out more about our awards, accreditations and partnerships.

    Meet our clients

    Hear from our client the East Malling Trust, a Kent-based scientific research charity, about why they work with us.

    How we can help

    Simply expand the sections below for more information on the services and support available to you.

    • How to contact us

      Our charity solicitors are based in Maidstone and Canterbury and are ready to help with any legal advice you need.

      You can call us on 01622 690691, email us or use the contact form on this page.

  • Get in touch

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  • Expertise

  • Case Studies

     

  • We have acted for a client in relation to a charitable settlement for more than 50 years. We work closely with the elderly settlor to make sure they are happy with all aspects of the running of the settlement.

    We deal with the administration of the settlement, including chairing regular trustee meetings and research around donations.

    We work closely with the trustees, accountant and investment manager in line with good governance procedures.

    Recent advice has included:

    • Guidance on a potential conflict and advising the trustees of the correct protocol to avoid any potential conflict in the future
    • Producing protocols to guide trustees
    • Researching potential recipients of donations to ensure their behaviours were in line with the settlor’s objectives

  • We advised the trustees of an unincorporated institution who needed advice on becoming a charity registered with the Charity Commission.

    The Charity had not historically held significant funds, but due to it inheriting considerable sums of money from several estates, they were required to formally register for charitable status.

    The Charity had attempted to amend their existing constitution themselves, but this had been rejected by the Charity Commission as it fell foul of their rules.

    We were able to draft a new compliant constitution for them which required careful incorporation of their existing governing document with new aspects in a compliant way. We successfully achieved charitable status for them with the Charity Commission.

  • Recently, we have acted for both the bank or CAF and the borrower in various secured lending transactions. A number of these included property development and required review and negotiation of collateral warranties.

    Brachers have also acted for the bank on a series of loans to a London-based supportive housing charity. The charity has been actively acquiring new property to refurbish into high-quality accommodation for people with learning disabilities through loans from the bank secured against existing property.

    Recent transactions include lending to religious-based charitable organisations, independent charitable schools, housing associations and sports clubs.

  • For a number of years we have acted for an almshouse charity with over 100 almshouses across multiple sites.

    We have provided legal advice on a range of matters, including:

    • Sales of investment property
    • Termination of appointments of residents
    • Charity governance
    • Advice on first registration of title to a number of almshouses within the portfolio
    • General property title queries

    Our work for this charity has included consideration of their governance documents to establish that transactions we have dealt with could go ahead under their powers. We have also ensured that specific property-related requirements under the Charities Act were complied with.

Key Contacts - Charity Solicitors:

Meet the Team:

  • They don’t just know the sector – they understand the specific challenges we are facing and work with us to overcome them.

    The Legal 500 2023

  • During the past 18 months, we have had several challenging matters to manage including employment matters. Thanks to Brachers’ advice, each case was resolved avoiding escalation and the associated demands. Brachers is committed to supporting our work and even more so with the mental health impact COVID-19 has caused.

    The Legal 500 2023

  • They understand the charity sector, with team members who have experience acting as trustees.

    The Legal 500 2022

  • Brachers are proactive in their dealings with us, they have good relationships at partner level.

    The Legal 500 2024

  • A firm with longevity, trust and a personal touch.

    Client quote

  • They have a very friendly and personal style. They are always professional, helpful and available.

    Chambers High Net Worth Guide

  • I was well informed throughout, his advice was excellent