Charity disputes and charity litigation

Charities need expert support to find solutions when disputes arise or potentially damaging claims are made.

If you need to conduct an independent investigation into the matters that are subject to dispute, we can advise on the appropriate procedures to follow, conduct the investigation or support the investigator in their work.

We advise trustees and senior managers of charities extensively in relation to regulatory interventions by the Charity Commission including regulatory cases, statutory inquiries and disqualification proceedings.

Our charity solicitors have the deep experience to help you to resolve disputes whether internal or external. We advise on:

• contentious regulatory matters and dealing with the Charity Commission
• internal disputes within the board of trustees or the wider membership of a charity, and “charity proceedings”
• reputation management
• claims by employees including disciplinary and grievance proceedings and employment tribunal claims 
• property disputes including:
• disputes over ownership of property
• adverse possession and dilapidations claims
• disputes with landlords in relation to breaches of tenant covenants
• disputes with commercial tenants or claims in relation to breaches of restrictive covenants
• alleged breaches of planning law
• personal injury claims
• public law disputes including advising charities on the judicial review of certain decisions
• general commercial litigation such as breach of contract claims
• contested legacies where a charity's entitlement under a will is challenged

Our charity solicitors work exclusively for charities and not-for-profits, with many of them charity trustees. This means we understand the importance of resolving disputes in a timely and effective manner. Our specialists can bring deep experience to a range of contentious matters, having previously advised in relation to:

• charity trustees bringing “charity proceedings” against a group of worshippers in relation to the unlawful occupation of the charity’s place of worship and related possession proceedings
• a charity trustee in relation to proposed disqualification proceedings
• a long running and high-profile dispute between the trustees of a charity and a group of former trustees in relation to the former trustees’ positions and the general governance of the charity
• numerous commercial contract disputes in relation to poor performance by suppliers
• a charity bringing a judicial review of a local authority’s decision-making process

Here are some comments made about us.

Strong specialist knowledge conveyed in ways that make sense, with a very can-do approach; looking at how to make something happen, rather than presenting the barriers that need to be overcome.
The Legal 500 (2025)

Our nationally recognised charity team is highly rated in the Legal 500 directory which states that Russell-Cooke "provides service beyond normal legal advice—coordination for complex projects involving multiple advisors and useful strategic insights."
The Legal 500 (2024)

The Legal 500 says our private client team’s “advice is easy to understand and yet very sophisticated”.
The Legal 500 (2024)

Charges are based on hourly rates plus administrative charges and disbursements but we’re flexible and are happy to discuss charging rates in relation to your budget for a particular piece of work. Where there is unpredictability or for the initial stages of a project, we’ll provide an estimate of your likely legal costs and will update this as your requirements or the circumstances of the work change.

For work where we can predict or clearly anticipate the work to be done, we can also act on a fixed or capped fee basis.

We’re happy to discuss your requirements free of charge and will then provide an estimate of costs.