We offer expert legal advice and representation with barristers who specialise in Chancery and Commercial law.
Chambers has extensive, collective expertise and considerable practical experience of how multiple legal disciplines often overlap when applied to the actual issues our clients face. We also offer highly skilled barristers who practice in areas that fall outside the scope of traditional Chancery law.
Our friendly, professional Clerks’ Room is the principal port of call for anyone who would like to instruct a barrister at Ten Old Square.
Our team of clerks will advise on the expertise and availability of the barristers in Chambers and discuss the most suitable fee structures for your case. They will do this in a speedy and responsive manner, keeping you fully informed throughout the process.
Our clerks offer a very high quality service combined with a down-to-earth and collaborative approach.
If you would like to discuss a specific case, arrange a meeting or receive further information about any of our barristers, areas of expertise or about the way we work in general, please contact our clerks.
Our excellent legal services extend beyond case work to the provision of remote talks, complimentary training events and programmes to support our clients’ continuing competence requirements.
Further details about this can be found on our events page or by contacting Emily Overett.
Ten Old Square is a professional, friendly and forward-looking set.
We are renowned for delivering an outstanding level of service and welcome applications from like-minded individuals.
Ten Old Square is an award-winning set of Chancery barristers’.
Chambers contains some of the finest and brightest lawyers currently practising in all the current Chancery disciplines. Our Chambers comprises of talented barristers whose expertise meets and exceeds the demands of those who approach us needing legal representation and require expert advice of the very highest calibre.
Charities
We are well-known for our Charities work. Members at Ten Old Square have provided representation in some of the most prominent charity litigation in the UK and other common law jurisdictions. We won Chambers of The Year at the STEP Private Client Awards, in both 2015/2016 and 2013/2014.
Charities work covered by Ten Old Square relates to governance questions and litigation encompassing both so-called ‘charity proceedings’ and cases involving charities in other types of claims such as cy-près schemes, legacy disputes, breach of trust claims, Public Trustee v Cooper applications and in statutory will and gift applications in the Court of Protection.
Contact our Charities Clerks
Contact our experienced Clerks to find out which Charities barristers would be ideal for you. They have many years of experience and will ensure that you receive a premium service and advise on the suitability, availability and cost of instructing specialist Counsel.
Call +44 (0)20 7405 0758
Email clerks@tenoldsquare.com
Charities Barristers
Simon Taube KC
Call 1980
David Schmitz
Call 1976
Susannah Meadway
Call 1988
Evan Price
Call 1997
Richard Dew
Call 1999
Georgia Bedworth
Call 2001
James MacDougald
Call 2011
James Poole
Call 2016 & Accredited Mediator
James Kirby
Call 2017
Thomas James
Call 2018
Elizabeth Atkinson
Call 2021 & Accredited Mediator
Our Charities Experience
Charities barristers here deal with the full range of charities work and their expertise covers related chancery areas such as trusts, estates and professional negligence. Members have acted in high profile charity disputes both onshore and offshore and have appeared in important charity reference cases on issues such as the meaning of public benefit.
- Charity Commission references such as AG v Charity Commission (The Poverty Reference) [2012] WTLR. 977
- The Nina Wang litigation in Hong Kong
- Breach of trust claims against charity trustees
- Charity governance questions
- ‘Charity proceedings’ under s 115 Charities Act 2011
- Construction of charitable (or non-charitable) gifts in wills
- Probate claims and other legacy disputes involving charities
- Claims on behalf of charities for the due administration of estates
- Claims for and against charity trustees (eg for breach of trust)
- Cy-près schemes
- Statutory will and statutory gift applications in the Court of Protection involving charities
Many are authors or editors of some of the foremost textbooks on Chancery law including Williams on Wills, Rossdale on Administration of Estate and Parker’s Modern Will Precedents and all are frequent contributors to journals and to seminars and conferences.
Charities Frequently Asked Questions
What do we mean by Charities work?
Any disputes or advice that involves charities, charitable trustees, charitable companies or charitable gifts. This includes questions about charity governance and issues such as cy-près as well as breaches of trust by charitable trustees, charitable status and questions over public benefit. We are also referring to work undertaken on behalf of charities in our other areas of practice, including legacy and other inheritance disputes involving charities and Court of Protection cases involving charities such as statutory gift and statutory will applications.
What is the focus of Chambers’ work in this area?
We are private client specialists. We are able to provide advice, assistance and representation in all of the aspects of charity work referred to above and you will find our members have considerable knowledge and experience from dealing with many similar or related matters.
Many members across different levels have a great deal of experience in charity work. In Simon Taube QC we have one of the most highly regarded charity silks in practice but we also have a number of juniors with a wealth of charity experience.
We appear in all the courts in England and Wales. Where permitted we will also provide representation in courts around the world, including Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Bahamas and the BVI. Members can also be found providing expert advice and assistance in other jurisdictions where they cannot represent a party, including Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
How do I select a barrister for a Charities matter?
This website contains details of the barristers at Ten Old Square to assist you. You should speak to one of our clerks who are highly experienced in matching the right barrister to the dispute.
What are the fees for instructing a barrister in a Charities matter?
We aim to provide a cost-effective service and will strive to ensure that our fees are competitive. Our Clerks will advise you of the hourly rate applicable to any barrister in Chambers and for any piece of work and this will be agreed in advance taking into account the nature of the case and its complexity, and the experience of the barrister instructed.
