Stone King LLP

Charity

Tom specialises in charity law and is particularly known for his expertise in charitable status, the development of novel charitable purposes and the governance and control of complex charity structures, including charity spin-offs from the state. He acts for a wide variety of charities and social enterprises in various areas, including public interest information, social investment, educational and campaigning organisations; academic, professional and learned institutions; and heritage, science and environmental/conservation charities.

Tom advises on contentious and charity-law compliance issues, structural re-organisations, amendment of royal charters, trading, mergers and restricted funds, special trusts and endowments. Tom also has extensive experience of Interim Manager (“IM”) work, both being appointed by the Charity Commission as IM in several high-profile cases and in assisting Stone King clients respond to Charity Commission investigations and IM appointments.

Recent charity work includes:

• establishing a new charitable purpose to cover Public Interest Journalism; registering the first such charity; and contributing to Dame Francis Cairncross’ submissions to the Lords Communications Committee;
• assisting a household name thinktank conduct novel forms of social investment;
• advising a royal trust on planned spend-out and closure;
• first registration 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 charity to manage significant public assets 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.

Interests include the 'common good', ‘public interest’ information and social-purpose enterprise and finance.