I can 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.
• Analysing options during times of change: expansion, merger, moving from grant dependancy 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.

Commissioned Writing
I am frequently commissioned to write technical pieces in non-technical language. These include:

• articles in magazines and journals
• reports 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 all the key changes introduced by the Act have now been implemented. Any organisation that is registered as a company 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 or modified by 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.