Stone King LLP

Julie is an experienced immigration expert, having worked in this area of law for many years. She has worked with various types of organisations and individuals on all types of immigration matters. Julie advises on a broad range of immigration issues, including UK organisations recruiting from abroad and matters affecting European nationals employed in the UK. She uses her knowledge of often sensitive immigration-related matters to support clients across Stone King’s specialist sectors of Business & Social Enterprise, Charity, Education, Faith and Private Client. Julie’s broad experience includes publicly funded and private immigration and asylum work, including applications, appeals and judicial reviews. A former role of Head of Immigration at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) saw Julie successfully lobbying on policy issues relating to income restrictions placed on nurses who are pursuing Indefinite Leave to Remain. She also worked on nursing to be included on the shortage occupation list for the UK. Julie successfully completed a Management Development Programme and is an accredited Senior Caseworker and Supervisor of the Law Society’s Immigration and Accreditation Scheme. Julie has completed a Management Development Programme, is a trained coach and mentor.

Partner Roger Inman specialises in school governance and re-organisation (notably multi-academy trusts (MATs), school finance, admissions as well as all pupil provision issues, notably special educational needs and disability (SEND). A recognised national specialist regarding special educational needs law, Roger works as a Judge in the SEN Tribunal in addition to his role at Stone King. Roger regularly trains colleagues in schools, colleges and other education sector groups on SEN law and practice, including the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), the Association of Colleges, and Natspec. Roger also has a particular specialism in advising on the strategic development of multi-academy trusts and other school groups. He has been advising on school and college governance for over 25 years and is on the Advisory Board for the Academy Trust Governance Code. Roger also contributes to the Education Sector more generally by working closely with national school and college membership organisations on a broad range of education sector issues, notably the Confederation of Schools Trusts and the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL).

Tom specialises in charity law and has a particular interest in charitable purposes. With key clients, he has developed a charitable definition of ‘public interest news’ which is accepted by the Charity Commission. As well as working with many organisations which provide public information, Tom acts for charities and social enterprises on recognition and registration, spin-offs from the state, structural re-organisations, governance, mergers and closures and charity campaigning. Sub-sectors in which he is particularly active include learned societies, professional membership bodies, arts and heritage organisations, scientific and natural history charities, royal charter bodies and international NGOs. He is known for his expertise in charitable status, the development of novel charitable purposes and the governance and control of complex charity structure. He is increasingly requested to assist charities deal with high-profile disputes and cases with potential for significant reputational damage. Tom also has extensive experience of Interim Manager (IM) work, both being appointed by the Charity Commission as IM in several recent high-profile cases. His practice includes: Recent charity work includes: assisting a large, household-name charity successfully conclude contested elections advising a large learned society on complaints about a well-known member developing a new charitable purpose to cover ‘public interest news’; registering the first such charity; and contributing to Parliamentary consultations on the sustainability of public interest news; assisting a household name thinktank develop a novel, FCA-regulated charitable investment fund to develop the ‘social economy’; assisting a professional membership body deal with an embarrassing incident with significant potential reputational damage first registrations of new charitable purposes associated with open-source content, local authority public health responsibilities and novel Covid-related purposes; assisting with the conversion of a national Government-sponsored social enterprise to a new royal charter body; establishing a new Government-sponsored charity to manage significant public amenities in London; assisting the Government with the establishment of a new national infrastructure charity; participating in diverse working parties on the development of charity law, including on the Charities Act 2022.

Daniel is a Partner and Head of the firm's specialist International and Cross-border Unit and also the Head of the Charity Legacy Team. He advises UK and overseas private clients as well as charities and other solicitors on succession and taxation issues in all jurisdictions of the world.

Richard has over 23 years’ experience in advising schools and local authorities on a wide range of education issues including admissions, exclusions, SEN, disability discrimination and other Equality Act issues. His advice has covered both state-funded and independent schools. Richard also has significant experience in SEND law and other local authority education issues such as transport, school re-organisation, legal challenges and complaints. Richard has supported schools on a range of complex issues including advising on: Admissions – including on compliance with the legislation and School Admissions Code 2021; challenges to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator and/or ESFA complaints; removal from boarding; and judicial review challenges; Admission Appeals – advising on and clerking admission appeal hearings; provision of training to admission authorities and appeal panel members; advising on and representing admission authorities in complaints made to admission appeal processes from the ESFA or Local Government Ombudsman; Exclusions – advising on compliance with the statutory exclusions guidance and advising on responses to behavioural incidents at school generally; clerking GB review meetings and Independent Review Panels; and training schools and panel members on exclusions; Equality Act issues – supporting schools on a range of complaints and claims made in respect of alleged discrimination; representing schools on claims arising from disability discrimination in the First Tier Tribunal; SEND – advising and supporting schools on all aspects of SEND legislation and guidance including funding, admissions and the relationship with the local authority and representing the school in relation to complaints being made to the DfE in respect of LA actions; Complaints – advice and representation in respect of complex complaints arising from all aspects of a school/trust’s operations. In addition, Richard is Chair of Trustees at a multi-academy trust in Warwickshire.

Caroline is a Partner and Head of the Family Team. She advises on all issues arising on the breakdown of relationships. and is ranked by independent legal directories as “a real star – composed and able” and as a “calm, capable and knowledgeable lawyer who has a wonderful manner with clients”. Caroline recognises that, with the right guidance, it is eminently preferable for a couple to resolve issues following separation together where possible. She looks to assist clients in achieving this end through a variety of processes, to include mediation, collaboration and constructive negotiation. Caroline has an established mediation practice, using her extensive experience and expertise to assist couples in resolving issues arising on separation, particularly where complex financial issues are involved. She is also qualified to speak with children as a child-inclusive mediator. Caroline specialises in financial matters on divorce and separation, often where complex issues are involved, to include business assets, property portfolios and trusts. She regularly advises clients where international issues are involved, being able to advise on issues as to jurisdiction, cases involving overseas assets and financial claims following an overseas divorce. Caroline is further able to assist in the preparation of pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, both in relation to national and cross-border marriages.

Caroline Taylor

Caroline is Head of Stone King's national property team and has extensive experience of all aspects of commercial property with a particular focus on retail leases with turnover rents, pre-lets, commercial and mixed use leasing and development projects as well as acquisitions and disposals of investment properties. Her experience also encompasses the acquisition and disposal of land for residential and commercial developments, regeneration of brownfield city centre sites and the greenfield development of urban expansion areas. Caroline's advice to clients extends to advising clients on site assembly, the use of options and site promotion, profit share and joint venture agreements as well as funding large scale purchases.

Ciara Campfield

Ciara has amassed a wealth of experience advising a range of education institutions on corporate, commercial and governance matters. She has a particular interest and specialism in advising on the development of joint ventures and multi-partner collaborations comprising local authorities, education and business. She has a particular interest in advising general further education colleges and sixth form colleges on corporate and commercial matters, including mergers, restructures and federations. A core aspect of Ciara’s work involves advising on the set up of new education institutions (academies and group training organisations offering skills-based learning focused on local area and needs).Ciara also provides a range of commercial and corporate advice to academy trusts and spends her time advising the largest multi academy trusts on project work and public procurement issues and strategy.

Andrew Mortimer

Andrew specialises in estate planning advice for private individuals, particularly inheritance tax planning, strategic advice to families on managing and passing on assets and businesses, the drafting of wills, the establishment and running of trusts, and advising elderly clients on managing their affairs. Andrew also practices as a Notary Public, providing notarial services to clients on cross-border transactions and other matters.

Hugh is the Senior Partner in Stone King’s Real Estate Team, leading on its work for Charity & Social Enterprises. Hugh is also one of the leads for Stone King’s extensive work for Faith-based clients. Hugh advises on a very broad range of property matters (and property types) - including development work involving construction and planning elements - and has a special interest in the more complex or strategic project work for charities. This includes involving mission development, or investment, or mixed motive social investment objectives, as well as collaboration, promotion and other joint venture type agreements. Hugh works most closely with Stone King’s Faith, Charity and Education clients and is a senior member of the firm’s Faith Sector Team; Charity & Social Enterprise Sector Team; and Education Property Team.

Michael Brotherton

Michael is a Partner and specialises in all areas of Education Law, he has also built up an enviable reputation dealing with the more contentious aspects of school life including procedural issues, admissions, exclusions, parental complaints, and Equality Act claims.Michael’s other skills include advising on many academy conversions, from single academy projects to multi academy conversion projects; advising on safeguarding issues, abuse allegations, policy drafting, general governance, best practice and whole school issues.

Alison is a Partner and Stone King's Chair. Alison joined Stone King in 1998 and acts for a wide range of clients advising on general private client matters, including inheritance tax, trust drafting and administration, wills, including complex wills and tax efficient wills and administration of estates. She has particular interest in advising older clients and their families and carers, including advice regarding NHS continuing care funding and NHS complaints procedures, means-testing and care funding disputes with the local authority, court of protection matters, powers of attorney and deputyships.

Andrew is a Partner and Head of the Court and Regulatory Team. He is an experienced Criminal practitioner who practices in the Crown Court and Magistrates Court. Andrew is a Solicitor Advocate having attained his Higher Court qualification. Andrew also represents transport concerns at Public Inquiry and in the courts. He is a panel solicitor for the Freight Transport Association and an affiliate member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Andrew’s practice also involves representing clients regarding regulatory breaches ranging from PLC's to private individuals. The range of breaches encompasses Health and Safety issues, CITES, Trading Standards prosecutions, Property Mis-description, and Planning and Environmental breaches. In addition, Andrew defends motoring offences. He has an excellent record of ensuring that clients facing discretionary disqualification from driving avoid disqualification. Offences defended include speeding, failing to identify a driver, drink driving and also tachograph and roadworthiness offences.

Andrew is a Partner and Head of the Court and Regulatory Team. He has over 25 years experience as a Regulatory and Criminal practitioner who practices in the Crown Court and Magistrates Court. Andrew has been a Solicitor Advocate for over 10 years having attained his Higher Court qualification as a consequence of his experience. In his regulatory practice Andrew represents a cross section of clients regarding regulatory and disciplinary issues. Whilst his practice is broad he has particular expertise representing transport concerns at Public Inquiry and in the courts. He is a panel solicitor for Logistics UK. Andrew’s practice also involves representing clients regarding regulatory breaches ranging from PLCs to private individuals. The range of breaches includes Health and Safety issues, CITES, Trading Standards prosecutions, Property Mis-description, and Planning and Environmental breaches. He is an acknowledged leader in the field of CITES regulation. Andrew’s criminal practice highlights have included defending multiple allegations of murder, defending prosecutions by the Serious Fraud Office, and defending the first prosecution of a pyramid scheme. Andrew has extensive experience in the Education Sector defending schools and other educational institutions in the Courts. This includes being one of the few Advocates to have defended educational institutions regarding offences of conducting an unregistered independent school. As an advocate Andrew also represents and prepares cases for Inquest before the Coroner. Clients represented include a cross section of interested persons from next of kin to schools and companies. Andrew has acted as advocate for clients at a number of inquests which have reached national attention including in cases where his peers have been Kings Counsel. In addition, Andrew defends motoring offences. He has an excellent record of ensuring that clients facing discretionary disqualification from driving avoid disqualification. Offences defended include speeding, failing to identify a driver, drink driving and also tachograph and roadworthiness offences.

Alexandra Steffensen

Alexandra has extensive experience in assisting charities of all kinds with incorporations, re-structuring, rationalising permanent endowment, dealing with conflicts of interest and negotiating with the Charity Commission, as well as assisting those wishing to set up a charity to find the right structure for them. She has particular expertise in Governance (co-founding the Governance and Company Secretary Forum with Guide Dogs for the Blind); assisting faith based charities adapt their religious mission to the charitable landscape; museums and independent schools.

Head of Independent Schools Team

Daniel is a Partner and Head of the firm's specialist International and Cross-border Unit and also the Head of the Charity Legacy Team. He advises UK and overseas private clients as well as charities and other solicitors on succession and taxation issues in all jurisdictions of the world.

Alexandra Weatherdon

Alexandra advises a wide range of local, national, and international charities on all aspects of charity law and regulation and has developed extensive experience in restructuring projects. Alexandra advises charities, not-for-profits, and individuals on a wide range of charity law issues. Having started her career in a not-for-profit association for cancer research and following a fulfilling secondment to the in-house legal team at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation, Alexandra’s experience means she recognises the broader context of her clients’ organisations and understands her clients’ needs. Alexandra advises on a range of charity law matters, including: setting up and registering new charities; assisting existing charities with their restructuring projects, including changes in legal structure (including incorporations and conversions) and hive-offs and mergers; advising on a range of constitution, governance, and regulatory matters frequently involving the Charity Commission. Alexandra delivers training as part of the firm’s Trustee Training Programme as well as to individual charities. Alexandra also has experience advising charities on data protection issues, including general data protection compliance, having obtained the BCS Foundation Certificate in Data Protection. Faith sector expertise Alexandra has a growing reputation for advising charities connected to faith organisations, in particular in relation to their incorporation and other restructure projects, having now advised on over 30 such projects.

$Alice O\'Mahony$

Alice O\'Mahony

Alice is an Associate Solicitor in the Charity & Social Enterprise Team. She advises on a wide range of charity, company and trust law matters and has particular expertise in working with faith-based organisations. Alice is also a member of Stone King’s specialist Charity Legacy Protection Team. Alice advises charities and social enterprises throughout every stage of their journey, including: the establishment and registration of new charities; changes of legal form (incorporations and conversions); governance issues and regulatory compliance; constitutional reviews; and collaborations, mergers and wind-ups. Alice is a member of Stone King’s specialist Faith Sector and enjoys working with a wide variety of faith-based organisations, providing advice that is sympathetic to the particular religious context and ethos of each client. She also advises charities on their legacy income and how to maximise this in a way that is sensitive both to the needs of supporters and the Trustees’ duty to maximise their charity’s entitlement. Alice delivers training as part of the firm’s Trustee Training Programme and bespoke training to individual clients.

Tim has a national reputation for advising charities and is a Partner in the Charity & Social Enterprise Team at Stone King. He specialises in advising on charity law, governance and related issues and is also experienced in advising charities and organisations in relation to insolvency and risk management issues. He excels in advising charities related to faith organisations (in particular Roman Catholic religious orders and Dioceses and Anglican religious orders) and Almshouses, as well as acting for many other types of charity across the sector. He has a particular expertise in incorporations and restructures, having been responsible for the first incorporation of a Roman Catholic religious order charity as a CIO and has since established more than 80 similar CIOs in the past few years. He also worked with the Almshouse Association to rewrite its guidance ‘the Standards of Almshouse Management’. Tim's work highlights include: Assisting several international Religious Congregations to restructure their operations in England to fit in with the changing nature of the way they work internationally and the reduction in the number of members based in England. Advising a charity with a significant permanent endowment fund on the potential to apply the total return regulations to part of the endowment, whilst retaining the rest of the endowment in traditional form. Advising a large religious congregation on restructuring to provide a modern structure to enable the continuation of their way of religious life (in new and different forms) whilst also establishing a new charity to take forward their mission work, separate from the religious way of life. Advising several charitable organisations that are exempt charities on the process to change their structure from a registered society to a company limited by guarantee to enable them to demonstrate they are a registered charity for the purposes of raising funds from third party grant funders who will only grant fund registered charities. Carrying out a strategic review of a household name charity to assist the Trustees to identify any gaps between their stated strategy/mission and how they operate in practice, and then assisting the Trustees to make appropriate changes in light of the review.

Graham is the Head of education team and his particular skills include advising on complex public sector procurements (where he has particular expertise in the education and local authority sectors) and major commercial transactions. Graham also offers substantial experience of major and complex public private partnership deals, including completing the largest schools partnership contract in England for Northamptonshire County Council.Graham has a substantial practice in the academies sector, a history that began with him acting for the West London Free School on the very first free school funding agreement. He is also recognised as one of the education sector’s leading innovators having acted for a broad range of sponsors developing Multi-Academy Trusts and Umbrella Trust structures.

Hannah is a Partner specialising in charity law and governance and social enterprise. Hannah advises charities and social enterprises on incorporation and registrations, governance issues, commercial operations and mergers and transfers. Her particular expertise is in contracts and grants and she acts for a number of publicly funded organisations. She frequently advises on collaborations and partnerships, procurement and trading. She is also experienced in the establishment of academies and free schools, both as part of single model and multi-model academy trusts. Hannah works closely with the firm’s Corporate team in the area of social finance, which includes advising organisations seeking to raise funds and advising charities on their social investments. An active member of the Charity Law Association, Hannah recently participated in its working party on the Law Commission’s consultation on a new social investment power for charities.

Tom specialises in charity law and has a particular interest in charitable purposes. With key clients, he has developed a charitable definition of ‘public interest news’ which is accepted by the Charity Commission. As well as working with many organisations which provide public information, Tom acts for charities and social enterprises on recognition and registration, spin-offs from the state, structural re-organisations, governance, mergers and closures and charity campaigning. Sub-sectors in which he is particularly active include learned societies, professional membership bodies, arts and heritage organisations, scientific and natural history charities, royal charter bodies and international NGOs. He is known for his expertise in charitable status, the development of novel charitable purposes and the governance and control of complex charity structure. He is increasingly requested to assist charities deal with high-profile disputes and cases with potential for significant reputational damage. Tom also has extensive experience of Interim Manager (IM) work, both being appointed by the Charity Commission as IM in several recent high-profile cases. His practice includes: Recent charity work includes: assisting a large, household-name charity successfully conclude contested elections advising a large learned society on complaints about a well-known member developing a new charitable purpose to cover ‘public interest news’; registering the first such charity; and contributing to Parliamentary consultations on the sustainability of public interest news; assisting a household name thinktank develop a novel, FCA-regulated charitable investment fund to develop the ‘social economy’; assisting a professional membership body deal with an embarrassing incident with significant potential reputational damage first registrations of new charitable purposes associated with open-source content, local authority public health responsibilities and novel Covid-related purposes; assisting with the conversion of a national Government-sponsored social enterprise to a new royal charter body; establishing a new Government-sponsored charity to manage significant public amenities in London; assisting the Government with the establishment of a new national infrastructure charity; participating in diverse working parties on the development of charity law, including on the Charities Act 2022.

Miguel is a corporate and commercial lawyer and advises on a wide range of corporate transactional matters including mergers and acquisitions, start-ups, shareholders’ agreements, joint ventures, restructurings and corporate borrowings. In addition to general corporate and commercial work, Miguel has developed a particular expertise in partnership and LLP law and is recognised as an expert in this area by the leading legal directories. He has significant experience advising partnerships and LLPs across various sectors on their constitutional arrangements and has also advised individual partners on their joining or leaving of partnerships. Miguel is a fluent Spanish speaker and acts for a number of Spanish clients in relation to their interests in the UK.

Ann has long been regarded as one of the UK’s foremost experts in charity law, with a career advising charities and philanthropists spanning over 40 years. She has worked with all types of charity, including many well-known charities, national and international, and some of the country’s oldest charitable bodies. This means she is very familiar with the technical and governance problems facing large organisations and long-established institutions, as well as the practical solutions needed to achieve their organisational aims. Ann has considerable expertise in working with endowed charities of all kinds and has specialist knowledge of permanently endowed charities, Royal Charter charities and heritage charities, as well as City Livery companies and their charities. She was a Partner of Stone King for almost 20 years and served as Stone King’s Chair from 2014 until 2020 when she became a Consultant.

Stephen Ravenscroft

Stephen is a Partner in Stone King's national Charity practice. He has specialised in charity and not-for-profit law since qualifying as a solicitor in 1997. Stephen acts for clients of all sizes, helping them with a wide range of issues that includes new charity registrations, incorporations, governance matters, mergers, trustee training, dealings with the Charity Commission and fundraising matters. Stephen has enormous expertise in advising on Academy projects. Over the last 10 years Stephen has worked with more than 50 sponsored Academies and more than 100 converter Academies. This depth of experience means Stephen is often able to save clients time and fees by anticipating potential issues at the earliest stage.

and employee engagement; ii) socially-focused business; iii) public services commissioning, procurement and subsidy control from a public benefit perspective; and iv) public policy and charity law innovation. He is dedicated to the development of: Social Enterprise; Social Finance; Social Value; and Social Impact. He works particularly in relation to: Community Transport; Education; Health and Social Care; Rehabilitation; Renewable Energy; and Youth Services. He works closely with E3M, a group of pioneering chief executives running mature social enterprises and associated groups of progressive commissioners and social investors (see www.e3m.org.uk). He has developed innovative quasi in-house partnership arrangements, with social enterprises, including Catch22 and Energy4All. Having written and edited books on charity law, his co-authored publication “The Art of the Possible in Public Procurement” (2016) opened the way to collaborative commissioning and relational contracts in public services, which he champions, including through co-authored Local Government Association guidance on the relationships between councils (2024) and the public benefit sector and through the VCSE Crown Commissioner’s Advisory Panel to Government.

Reema is a Partner in the Charity Team. She acts for a huge variety of charities, ranging from start-ups to historic charities, locally focussed charities to those working internationally, and for both grant-making and operational charities. She specialises in charity law and governance, and how they apply to charities in practice. She is particularly experienced in the technical and complex aspects of charity law, such as dealing with permanent endowment, the de-restricting of restricted funds, the re-writing of complex governing documents and the amendment of charitable objects. She gives technically robust legal advice which is workable for charities in practice.

Rosamund McCarthy Etherington

Rosamund is Head of Charity Sector at Stone King. For more than 30 years she has utilised the law to create, merge or restructure charities and not-for-profits, set up efficient funding arrangements and work alongside as well as challenge the decisions of regulators. As well as advising on long term and technical charity law issues, she also advises charities in the eye of the storm, helping them to navigate through a regulatory, governance and media maze. Rosamund has a track record in defending the rights of charities and campaign bodies. Her practice includes: Innovative charity applications, including advising on wide-ranging public benefit issues. Optimal structuring including donor advised funds, community benefit societies, CICs, fiscal sponsorship, conduits. Governance and membership advice for a wide range of charitable, professional and campaigning bodies, as well as entities established by Royal Charter and Acts of Parliament. Charities under investigation - everything from operational cases to statutory inquiries, often where there are multi-disciplinary issues. Grant making including to non-charities and overseas, as well as participatory grant making, collaborations and partnerships, grant agreements, financing, Charity Commission and HMRC requirements. Campaigning, political activity and electoral related activity, including advice to charities and non-party campaigners. She also advises political bodies and campaigners on non-party campaigning electoral law and is the co-founder of the Electoral Law Forum. Corporate Foundations on philanthropy, donor advised funds, corporate social responsibility, including extensive advice over many years to the Foundations of FTSE100 global brands. Arts charities including high profile literary prizes on governance, sponsorship and charity registration. Advice on fundraising, sponsorship as well as compliance with the requirements of the Fundraising Regulator. Rosamund is a trusted advisor to the chief executives, chairs, and boards of charities. She works across many sectors, including children and young people, international development, education, the arts, faith, animal welfare and health. Rosamund’s clients include start-ups, household name charities, international foundations, membership bodies, royal charter bodies and corporate foundations.

Harriet Broughton

Harriet is a Partner in the Employment Team specialising in the education, charity and faith sectors. She is able to advise on all areas of employment law, taking a commercial and pragmatic approach to resolving matters. Harriet started her career predominantly undertaking claimant tribunal litigation before moving to advising SME employers on all contentious and non-contentious employment matters. During her time at Stone King, Harriet has developed her expertise in the education, charity and faith sectors. She has particular expertise in handling disputes at senior level, and regularly advises trustees and governors in such issues. She is also regularly involved in complex safeguarding, discrimination and whistleblowing claims. Education Sector experience: Harriet works across the Education Sector, with her primary focus being Independent Schools. She can bring her commercial experience and understanding of Independent School regulations to fully support schools in handling employment matters. She regularly advises on complex safeguarding matters concerning staff, as well as supporting clients with parental complaints, outsourcing services, and grievance and disciplinary matters. Harriet understands the complexities and challenges facing independent schools and tailors her advice accordingly. Charity Sector experience: Harriet regularly advises clients in the Charity sectors. She is experienced in advising in complex matters including senior exits, whistleblowing disputes, and organisational change including TUPE, restructure and redundancy. Harriet is adept at balancing Charity Commission guidance and employment law requirements providing clients with clear and pragmatic advice. Harriet is also a member of Stone King’s Faith Sector and regularly advises organisations of all faiths on employment law matters. She has experience in advising charities on Equality Act exemptions for faith organisations.