International charities and not for profit

Enquiry form Charity law non profit team

How our international charities and not for profit solicitors can help you

Expert guidance and support from trusted international charity law solicitors

Our charity law and not for profit team specialises in advising charities and other not-for-profit organisations that work internationally.

We work with UK-based organisations that have activities in another country and overseas organisations with a presence in the UK, or wish to establish a presence here. We have practical experience too; several members of our team are trustees of international development charities.

The areas we advise on include:

establishing a branch or a charity in the UK (which may be a subsidiary)
transferring operations to another country
structuring international groups, federations and associations
contracting and funding arrangements internationally
tax treatment for UK charities and their donors
the Bribery Act 2010 and its implications for organisations with a connection to the UK
appropriate governance arrangements where a UK charity has an overseas parent organisation
arrangements for staff and volunteers working abroad

Our expertise

Examples of our international work include:

establishing a charity elsewhere in the EU because of concerns about losing EU funding as a result of Brexit
advising UNICEF on a collaboration agreement with its national charities
relocation of charities to and from the UK
supporting the International Water Association with their UK governance and their international operating structure
working on contracts between Voluntary Service Overseas and the Department for International Development
participating in multinational collaborations and arrangements for service delivery, including for Plan International UK
the implications of staff recruited in the UK working in other countries and staff from other countries working in the UK
on-going work for international federations, including Hostelling International, Consumers International and United World Colleges
helping Movember to establish an international presence in the UK
assisting an international federation of health organisations with its relocation from London to Switzerland
advising on the merger between Plan International and Interact
establishing the World Dementia Council as a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and assisting the Associated Country Women of the World with incorporation

Charging information

Transparent and flexible charging solutions for international charities and not for profit matters

Charges are usually based on hourly rates plus administrative charges and disbursements but we are flexible with regard to charging rates and will discuss with you budgets for work on a particular matter, or, where it is not entirely clear how things will develop, for the initial stages or a particular stage of a matter. We will always provide you with an initial estimate of your likely legal costs and will update this as your requirements or the circumstances of the work change.

In circumstances where we can more or less either anticipate the work to be done or prescribe the work, we can act on a fixed or capped fee basis.

We would be pleased to discuss your requirements free of charge and tailor a costs proposal accordingly.

It is fundamental to our policy on allocating work that one of the factors we will consider is the likely cost outcome of using particular solicitors for particular pieces of work. Whilst almost invariably a partner will be able to carry out work more quickly than a less experienced solicitor, a less experienced solicitor under appropriate supervision may be able to produce a more cost effective result. Partner input is more likely to be appropriate and cost-effective in more complex or more specialised matters.

For more information, please contact:

+44 (0)20 8394 6438 Message Chris

+44 (0)20 8394 6414 Message Andrew

Get in touch

If you would like to speak with a member of the team you can contact our charity law solicitors by email, by telephone on +44 (0)20 3826 7510 or complete our enquiry form.

Enquiry form Email us

Related insights

The latest news and insights from our charity law non profit team

Russell-Cooke scoops 15 team and 54 individual rankings in Chambers UK 2025

Russell-Cooke has secured rankings along the full spectrum of its service areas, significantly growing the number of...

James Carroll

2 min Read

Employment law changes—Labour’s plan to Make Work Pay

On 10 October 2024 the government published its long-awaited Employment Rights Bill as part of its plans...

Sam Lawn

4 min Read

Navigating regulatory engagement with the Charity Commission

Interim Managers can be appointed by the Charity Commission alongside, or in replacement of, trustees, and will work with the trustees and the Charity Commi...