W. Davies act as charity law solicitors in Woking, with a solid tradition of providing legal advice to charitable institutions and to other not-for-profit organisations. As an illustration, our firm has acted as charity solicitors to Woking Hospice since its foundation; we also advise its sister organisation, the Sam Beare Hospice, also in Surrey.

Charities can take various forms:

• An incorporated entity (often, a company limited by guarantee; for registered social landlords - usually an industrial and provident society);
• An unincorporated entity (which may be regarded as an association); or
• A trust.

Life-cycle of a Charity
Our charity lawyers can assist charities at all stages of their operation, commencing with their formation. Throughout a charity’s lifetime, our legal guidance can include incorporating an existing charity (for the benefit of giving limited liability status) merging with another charity and re-drafting or amending the constitutional documents after a re-organisation. If, unfortunately, the circumstances require it, our lawyers will assist in all aspects of the legal process of a charity’s dissolution.

A spectrum of legal issues
Inevitably, within its day-to-day operation, a charity will find itself associated with a variety of legal issues.

To meet these situations, our charity clients can benefit from the wide range of legal expertise which W. Davies’ various departments can provide, covering areas such as:

• Charity constitutions
• Charity Trustee advice
• Real Estate purchase, sale or rental
• Employment advice
• Dispute resolution
• Intellectual Property issues
• Questions regarding legacies and wills.

For more information about this please contact Simon Oxley on sjo@wdavies.com or Alexandra Milton on akm@wdavies.com