Roman Catholic

For over 25 years we have, in partnership with Haysmacintyre, organised and run the annual Catholic Charity Conference, which is the only conference aimed specifically at Roman Catholic Religious Orders and Diocesan charities. 

• We co-authored the book “Embracing Change” with Buzzacott LLP, which provides high level guidance to Religious Orders on many of the future challenges that Congregations are grappling with at present and which was made freely available to all Congregations.
• We co-authored the book “Consecrated Journey” with Buzzacott LLP, which serves as a handbook for new Trustees to provide them with guidance on their role and acting as a bridge to the Charity Commission guidance which is often written with wider mainstream charities in mind.
• We produced in 2022 with Buzzacott LLP a follow up series of videos, entitled “Walking in Partnership” to update on the themes discussed in “Embracing Change” as part of supporting our clients to focus on preparing for future challenges.
• We work closely with the Association of Provincial Bursars to assist in providing educational seminars and have for many years been invited to sit on the Open Forum panel at the close of their conference.  During the pandemic we facilitated, with Buzzacott LLP, a series of webinar discussions replicating the Open Forum panel and answering the key questions and challenges that Religious Order charities were experiencing as part of dealing with the pandemic.  We have continued the online Open Forum panel, alongside other webinars for Religious Order charities.

Our recent experience of work for Roman Catholic charities includes:

• Incorporation and/or establishment of over 60 Roman Catholic Religious Order charities as CIOs. The charities in question ranged from those with small communities and a few properties, to several large charities that had numerous properties, endowment funds and commercial operations (such as care homes).
• We have acted for one of our Diocesan clients for over 100 years, and are responsible for all of their property and real estate work.  We also do all of the property and real estate work for another Diocese, as well as all of our Religious Order clients, this includes numerous specialist property projects.
• The “hive off” of several operational activities (e.g., care homes, schools, etc.) from Roman Catholic Religious Orders into separate independent lay run charities.
• Incorporation on a merger of two existing charities (one unincorporated and one a company limited by guarantee) into a CIO, following the merger at Canon law of the two Roman Catholic Religious Orders involved.
• Advising on the international restructure of a Religious order that is facing a significant reduction in the number of members and is looking to refocus its activities.
• The “hive off” of a women’s refuge previously operated by a Religious order of woman and a faith-based adoption agency, into a separate company limited by guarantee entity (including issues with employees who were on final salary pension schemes).
• Advising two Roman Catholic Archdiocese and two Roman Catholic Diocese on their incorporation as a CIO or company limited by guarantee and, as part of that process, consolidating and restructuring various subsidiary charities.
• Advising a Roman Catholic Archdiocese on its rights in relation to the preservation of a culturally significant library collection.
• Advising on internal governance issues.
• Advising on issues arising from the departure of members of Religious orders.
• Advising on immigration related issues and management of sponsorship arrangements for immigration.
• Carrying out serious incident reporting in relation to historic issues and on-going fraud or criminal activity.
• Assisting a Diocese with a strategic review of its workings and governance, relating to a new CIO form for the charity and handover from the current Bishop to his successor.

• Charity law, governance and regulation
• Construction
• Charity land, buildings and estates
• Commercial law, intellectual property and IT services
• Dispute resolution
• Regulatory matters (including health & safety, regulated care and crime)
• Education, both operational and transactional (with the ability to draw wider on the lawyers in our Education Sector Group if appropriate)
• HR consultancy and Employment
• Immigration
• Health and Social Care related issues for individuals
• Information Law
• Legacy management and contentious probate
• Social enterprise and procurement
• Safeguarding for children and vulnerable adults