Catherine Rustomji > Shakespeare Martineau LLP > Birmingham, England > Lawyer Profile

Shakespeare Martineau LLP
NO 1 COLMORE SQUARE
BIRMINGHAM
B4 6AA
England

Work Department

Charities

Position

Partner

Career

Catherine Rustomji is a partner and head of charities at Shakespeare Martineau. She has been advising charities, social enterprises and not for profit organisations exclusively for over 20 years.

Catherine is a specialist charities solicitor who advises charities, not for profit organisations, social enterprises, charity trustees and individuals wishing to establish charities. Her particular focus is on constitutional and governance matters including different legal structures and the duties and responsibilities of charity trustees.

She regularly advises on charity registrations, incorporations of existing charities, mergers, the use of commercial subsidiaries including community interest companies and advising on the legal duties and responsibilities of charity trustees.

• Membership associations – has acted for a number of membership associations In revising their legal structures, registering with the Charity Commission and advising the first charity trustees on their legal duties and responsibilities.
• Hospice charities – advising different hospice charities on merger options and legal structures, providing due diligence support and overseeing the merger process.
• Charity Governance Reviews – conducting bespoke charity governance reviews incorporating the Charity Governance Code, Principles of Good Decision-Making and other relevant provisions to enable clients to operate more effectively and capably.

Lawyer Rankings

West Midlands > Private client > Charities and not-for-profit

Andrew Wilkinson  heads the department at Shakespeare Martineau LLP which has considerable experience in the social housing and education sectors. Core areas of focus include advising on complex corporate transactions, various governance, regulatory and constitutional matters as well issues regarding legacies. Lesley Davis  is well-regarded for her work in setting up and managing charitable trusts, foundations and CIOs while Smita Jamdar  regularly assists leading universities on a wide array of governance, student facing and constitutional matters. Michael Hibbs  advises on various HR and employment law matters. Rachel Gwynne  is also recommended whereas Catherine Rustomji recently joined the team from Browne Jacobson LLP.

East Midlands > Private client > Charities and not-for-profit

Shakespeare Martineau LLP is known for its expertise in acting for administering grant-making and government funded charities. The practice is also expanding its portfolio of education, animal and social housing organisations. Andrew Wilkinson specialises in complex legacy disputes, while fellow key partner, Gary Ekpenyoung is the go-to for social housing clients. In April 2022, the firm recruited former Browne Jacobson LLP partner Catherine Rustomji to lead the national charities practice.