Neil Burton > Mills & Reeve LLP > Cambridge, England > Lawyer Profile

Mark Ashton heads up the Leeds charity team at Mills & Reeve LLP, with national head Neil Burton based between Cambridge and London. The team advises high-profile charities nationally and regionally on complex matters, with specific expertise regarding education charities. Newly promoted partners Rebecca Pallot and Andrea Newman lead on charity employment and real estate work, respectively.

Neil Burton , who divides his time between the London and Cambridge offices, heads the department at Mills & Reeve LLP – it continues to work with many major charities. Lucy Howard specialises in contested legacy matters. Howard regularly advises charities on the validity of will provisions and acts on their behalf in relation to claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. Principal associate, Adam Williams, specialises in governance and charity law regulation. Williams has advised universities throughout the country on charity law issues and acts for a number of the biggest Midlands charities. In addition, Williams leads the firm’s philanthropy offering.

Mills & Reeve LLP‘s education team stands out for its ability to advise large independent schools and multi-academy trusts on debt finance transactions, having assisted a number of schools and educational foundations on high-value private placements, and is also well-regarded for its advice on charity law matters as well as employment and safeguarding issues. Charity expert Neil Burton jointly leads the national education practice with Gary Attle and Martin Priestley. For financial matters, Sarah Seed is a key contact, while Richard Sykes is well-regarded for his understanding of sensitive student matters.

Neil Burton continues to lead the practice at Mills & Reeve LLP, which advises all types of charities on a wide spectrum of issues. Areas of recent growth have included advising membership organisations, education charities, and health charities. The group is also adept at handling a diverse range of matters such as alternative fundraising and philanthropy issues. Sarah Seed has considerable experience in debt capital markets, and has a particular emphasis on the not-for-profit and public sectors.

The charities and social enterprise practice at Mills & Reeve LLP advises an impressive array of charity clients, among them the Francis Crick Institute, The Children’s Trust and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. ‘Exceptional lawyer’ and practice head Neil Burton, charity finance-focused Sarah Seed, fundraising specialist Dona Ardeman, and employment expert Nicola Brown are some of the key practitioners to note in the Cambridge office. The team stands out for its ability to ‘clearly identify risks and best approaches’. Principal associate Nathalie Jacoby-Danesh moved to Browne Jacobson LLP in April 2023.