Cloisters Chambers’ Post

We are delighted that five of our colleagues have been included in the Pro Bono Recognition List 2024. A huge well done to Josie Beal, Helen Galer, Jonathan Insley, Francesca Skakel and Tom Wright for giving your time to help people, groups, charities and organisations who would not otherwise be able to afford legal advice👏 View the list here: https://lnkd.in/dFM9C_sZ #ProBono #ProBonoList #LegalAdvice

🚨 Important Update! 🚨 The recent appeal decision in MacLennan v British Psychological Society has reshaped the future of whistleblowing claims for charity trustees. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) concluded that charity trustees can bring whistleblowing claims, overturning the previous decision. This pivotal ruling opens the door for trustees looking to blow the whistle. Whilst McLennan’s case has been sent back to the Tribunal for further consideration/action, charitable organisations should keep this and the Tribunal’s upcoming decisions on their radar. Read Grace Dipper's blog for full details. https://zurl.co/qmM6 #Whistleblowing #CharityTrustees #EmploymentLaw #LegalUpdate

I've written an article for New Law Journal about the evident lack of understanding amongst charity trustees of how to apply the law on conflicts of interests in practice and the frequency with which this is an issue arising in statutory inquiries and trustee disqualification cases. I take a deep dive into the Goodband v Charity Commission case, where Suzanne Goodband challenged her disqualification in the First-tier tribunal. The judgment in that case provides detail and insight into how the Commission reached its decision and how Ms Goodband got herself into difficulty. Throughout the tribunal, Ms Goodband maintained that she had always acted in the best interests of the charity and both the Commission and the Tribunal acknowledged that she did not lack integrity. But, she was disqualified. So, what went wrong and why? My article is behind the New Law Journal paywall, but if you are not a subscriber to the journal you can access the article for free by filling in your name and email address. #charities #trusteedisqualifications #NewLawJournal #conflictofinterests #charitytrustees https://lnkd.in/e5GBSqzN

Did you know that we, John Gaunt & Partners Licensing Solicitors, publish a licensing monthly newsletter? The aim is to summarise important legal developments in the hospitality industry every month in one place, interested? It's free, more interested?? Here's a link to our latest edition, why not have a look and sign up for future newsletters direct to your inbox!

👇 Updated Guidance for Trustees from the Charity Commission 👇 The Charity Commission has updated its decision-making guidance to encourage more trustees to read it. The new version of CC27 is shorter and uses simpler language, as research indicated that trustees were not using the previous version effectively. The legal requirements and expectations remain unchanged, but the guidance is now more concise and takes about 12 minutes to read. The updated guidance, includes seven principles from court rulings and addresses areas where charities have struggled, such as collective decision-making and recording trustee decisions. Trustees are generally confident in decision-making but uncertain about some aspects. #Shropshire #Community #CharityGuidance

🙌🏼After almost a year of planning and preparation, Claris D'cruz and I are delighted to be finally starting The Confident Trustee series! 📣This Wednesday 5th December 5-6.15pm, Claris will be facilitating the first workshop of seven called ➡️  "First Principles". 🙌🏼We are offering up to 50 FREE places on this first session. 🙋♀️There are still a few places left. So, why not sign up? 📣Here's the booking link for one, some or all the workshops: https://lnkd.in/ea35f57T ✅The series is for current trustees who'd like to increase their confidence and impact. ✅And it's suitable for aspiring trustees too. 🙏A massive thank you to our generous sponsors Birketts LLP and Eastside People who've helped us to provide 8, full-series bursary places to nominated trustees from under-represented groups. We very much appreciate your support. 🙋♀️Are you curious to know what topics we'll be covering in the series? Well, here goes: ➡️Session 2- Being an Effective Trustee ➡️Session 3- Successful Board-SLT relationships ➡️Session 4-Confident Decision-Making ➡️Session 5-Healthy Board Dynamics ➡️Session 6-Developing yourself as a Trustee ➡️Session 7-Knowing when to Leave 🙌🏼We've kept the price low @ £66/workshop, to ensure accessibility for trustees from small charities. If you're a Charity CEO reading this, then please consider investing in training for your trustees. Having a well-equipped, confident Board can make all the difference to your charity and your beneficiaries, especially during these challenging times. 🙌🏼We look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday! #trustees #trusteetraining #charitysector #notforprofit

And of course one big issue here was conflict of interest. An important topic for all charities sand trustees to keep very much on the radar. Don't take my word for it... read this neat recent piece on the topic by Judith Turbyne:- https://lnkd.in/eHucaai7

Being a trustee is a rewarding, complex, powerful, unique and ever evolving role. Yet few people are offered more than cursory induction (if that). The good news is that there is now a new training course you can do, low cost / with free bursaries, from the brilliantly experienced Claris D'cruz and Fran Borg-Wheeler 👇

The BBB, or Better Business Bureau, is an organization dedicated to helping consumers find businesses and charities that they can trust. When a business has not met its end of the bargain, a complaint with the BBB may encourage them to respond to your issue. It also creates a public record of what happened to you so that other consumers are aware before they deal with shady businesses. #bbb #betterbusinessbureau #consumerprotection #elderlaw #seniors #seniorcitizen #legalhelp #legalservice