Bates Wells

Charity & Social Enterprise

Lawrence is a Partner in the Charity and Social Enterprise team at Bates Wells, specialising in advising UK and international charities, and arts and media organisations, not-for-profits and social enterprises. This involves advice on their establishment, regulation (including regulatory investigations), campaigning, governance, mergers and incorporations, fundraising and financing and commercial agreements.

Examples of his work include advising RSPCA on its governance and reorganisation of 160 branches; advising several major UK clients on their funding agreements with public authorities and corporate partners; and helping to establish the Elders Foundation as a UK charity and advising on its international structure and key strategic and legal issues.

Lawrence also acts as an external counsel to several of the largest US not for profit organisations.

Additional areas of expertise include data protection and information law, intellectual property and IT – advising clients on its rebranding, licensing and assigning copyright and trade mark rights (including a recent rebrand of a major international aid and development charity and advising leading national disability charity on dispute over the ownership of its database).

Partner, Bates Wells, 2006

Solicitor, Bates Wells, 2000

Trained as a solicitor Lewis Silkin, qualified 2000

Producer and Director television documentaries (BBC and C4), 1991-1996

Television researcher, 1988-1991

Parliamentary researcher, 1986-1988

French

The Law Society Charity Law AssociationBoard member, World Land TrustChair, 38 degrees Trust

Member of the advisory board of Rethinking Economics

Trustee, Refinitiv Charities

Contributor to:  'Jordan's Charities Administration Service'; 'Cultural Giving'; 'Charities, Trading and the Law'; 'Business Law: a guide for entrepreneurs'; 'The Charities Act Handbook: A Practical Guide'; and 'Data Protection for voluntary organisations'.

College of Law, CPE and LPC, 1997-1998

University of Oxford, BA (Hons) Politics, Philosophy & Economics, 1986

Sylvan High School John Ruskin High School