LEGAL STRUCTURES & GOVERNANCE

I provide a comprehensive range of consultancy services on any subject relating to legal structures and governance issues. A small selection of examples might include:

• One-off work with a group to identify the most suitable structure for their organisation - and implementing it if required.
• Analyzing options during times of change: expansion, merger, moving from grant dependency to income earning and the like.
• Acting as on-call expert for advisory and support agencies, providing specialist advice to their clients and members.
• Making a contribution to larger consultancy exercises where a specialist input is required on legal structures and associated topics.
• Mentoring staff in advice and development agencies as part of their professional development.
• Advising on more esoteric aspects of legal structures and governance such as share issues, golden votes, franchising, and complex membership models.

BUSINESS PLANNING & FEASIBILITY STUDIES

My small team is very experienced in researching and writing business plans and feasibility studies, including the preparation of detailed financial projections. There is a range of reasons why such an exercise may be required, including:

• To support a funding application.
• As part of an organisational review.
• Business planning to maximise earned income.
• Investigating the possibility of merger or structured collaboration with one or more other organisations.
• To cost a proposed development or new venture.

In the case of a proposed merger, we can also assist with the "due diligence" exercise as part of a feasibility study.

COMMISSIONED WRITING

I am frequently commissioned to write about technical subjects in an accessible way, using non-technical language. These include:

• Articles in magazines and journals.
• Options analyses for people who must make decisions about an organisation's legal status or governance structure.
• Manuals, members' handbooks and other explanatory tracts.
• Advice notes for members or clients of an advisory or umbrella organisation (e.g. "Should we incorporate?").
• Technical chapters in books about governance and management.

COMPANIES: TIME FOR REVIEW

A new Companies Act was passed in 2006, and the final and most significant changes were implemented in October 2009. Any organisation that was registered as a company before 2009 should review its memorandum and articles of association to ensure they conform with the new Act. A problem is that some provisions of the 2006 Act apply whatever the articles say, while others can be over-ridden by what is in the articles. Without a thorough understanding of the new Act, it will be hard to tell just which rules now apply, and a company may find itself inadvertently in breach of the law. I can undertake a thorough review and upgrade of your company's articles of association to make sure they conform with current legislation. In the case of a charitable company, I will also make sure the articles take due account of the Charities Act 2006.