Sam Macdonald > Farrer & Co > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Farrer & Co Offices
66 LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
LONDON
WC2A 3LH
England
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Sam Macdonald
Work Department
Charity.
Position
Sam is the Head of the Schools Group. He advises charities and other not-for-profit institutions on all aspects of UK charity law and related tax law. He also advises philanthropists on structures for giving and the establishment of charities, and overseas organisations on their engagement with the British and European charitable sectors. Sam represents the firm on the Charity Tax Group and the Charities’ Property Association, and is a member of the Charity Law Association.
Career
Trained Farrer & Co: 1995-97; Assistant Solicitor Farrer & Co: 1997-2004; Partner Farrer & Co: 2004 to date.
Languages
Conversational French.
Education
Manchester University.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Public sector > Education: institutions
(Hall of Fame)Farrer & Co acts for a client roster that encompasses some of the UK’s largest universities, as well as sector associations such as the Association of Commonwealth Universities. The team is respected for its ability to handle crisis management work of a reputationally sensitive nature and is regularly instructed to handle employment matters, commercial issues, and research/IP disputes, with a record of acting in contentious mandates spanning from discrimination and unfair dismissal claims to research misconduct allegations. Under the leadership of IP and commercial specialist David Copping, the London-based team also regularly assists with high-profile projects and partnerships, including campus openings, research collaboration agreements, and acquisitions. The team benefits from the expertise of Kathleen Heycock, whose expertise in employment and safeguarding issues make her a key contact for student complaints, industrial relations, and misconduct allegations. Sam Macdonald, an experienced charity and tax lawyer who is regarded as a key contact for matters related to governance and fundraising, Jeremy Isaacson, who advises on high-profile research and IP issues, and safeguarding specialist David Smellie are also highly recommended.
London > Public sector > Education: schools
(Hall of Fame)As a ‘leading light in the field of education and schools‘, Farrer & Co works with a diverse client base that encompasses independent schools and associations and offers ‘pioneering guidance in areas such as safeguarding and EDI‘. In addition to its widely recognised safeguarding expertise, the team is also well-equipped to handle cross-border commercial matters, with lawyers regularly advising on partnerships and school openings, mergers, and trade marks. Increasingly, the firm also assists clients with their attempts to challenge the results of ISI and Ofsted inspections. Practice head Jonathan Eley often advises on high-profile employment matters, including strike action and crisis management, and frequently works with vastly experienced safeguarding specialist David Smellie, employment lawyer Alice Yandle, and former barrister Katie Fudakowski to handle complex safeguarding, SEN, and equality issues. Sam Macdonald continues to be a highly recommended specialist for restructuring and governance matters, and Paul Jones is a key contact for commerical contracts and partnerships. Maria Strauss is particularly noted for her expertise in safeguarding investigations.
London > Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
(Hall of Fame)The outstanding team at Farrer & Co has a ‘deep knowledge of the charity sector and fantastic expertise‘. It has an impressive client base of leading UK and international charitable organisations, and a long track record of advising on some of the most complex, ground -breaking and high-profile work in the sector. Under the joint leadership of James Maloney and Elizabeth Jones, the nimble team covers the full range of issues from charity mergers and restructuring work, to advising on corporate foundations and partnerships. Other core areas of expertise include handling disputes and managing reputational issues. In addition, it continues to be busy advising on various safeguarding issues, and innovative charity finance matters. Anne-Marie Piper is particularly known for her skilful handling of difficult regulatory cases, as well as other issues relating to mergers, reorganisations and governance. Julian Smith acts for a wide range of foundations and functional charities, and is well regarded in the charity investment sphere. Sam Macdonald has a broad practice; he advises philanthropists on their charitable giving as well as advising overseas organisations.
Lawyer Rankings
- Charities and not-for-profit London > Private client
- Education: schools London > Public sector
- Hall of Fame London > Public sector > Education: schools
- Hall of Fame London > Public sector > Education: institutions
- Hall of Fame London > Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Education: institutions London > Public sector
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Agriculture and estates
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Public sector > Education: schools
- Private client > Family
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Theatre, publishing and other media
- Corporate and commercial > Partnership
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Real estate > Residential property
- Employment > Senior executives
Firm Rankings
- Public sector > Education: institutions
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Investment fund formation and management > Retail funds
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Employment > Employers
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Employment > Immigration
- Real estate > Property litigation
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- Real estate > Planning
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Real estate > Property finance
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration