Charitable legacies

Ensuring that money left to your organisation is spent in the way it was intended whilst at the same time making sure that it is used in the most effective way can be a challenging balancing act.

It is also an unfortunate fact of life that legacies – particularly ones involving substantial sums – can come as a surprise to relatives and friends of the deceased donor and contested legacies involving charities are becoming increasingly common.

In situations like these, having experienced legal support can help to steer charitable organisations through the issues in an effective yet sensitive manner and can avoid unnecessary difficulties and heartache.

We advise some of the UK’s leading charities on managing legacies, helping them get to grips with the best way to make sure that money left to them is secured so that they can maximise the work they do.

Our specialist charities team has a long track record of advising charitable and social enterprise organisations on the full range of issues which they face.

Members of the team have worked for charities, as well as advising them, so we have a genuine insight into how things really operate on the ground.

We also work closely with colleagues in our Wills and Trusts team who regularly provide charities with advice on managing legacies and dealing with disputes.

Our services include advice on:

• Contested legacies
• Grant making
• Legacy Administration
• Liaising with the Charity Commission
• Service level agreements
• Taxation of trusts and estates
• Trustees’ role and responsibilities
• Trust and estate administration

For more details on how we can help, please get in touch.