I am a Partner and the Head of Dispute Resolution & Litigation at Bates Wells. I lead on a variety of contentious matters with a particular focus on litigation relating to charities, charity governance, charity legacies and charity fraud. I am often instructed by charities and other organisations who wish to make a positive impact by bringing or supporting claims with strategic objectives.
My other practice areas include contract disputes, shareholder disputes, claims brought under the False Claims Act, asset recovery and the enforcement of judgments.
I am an experienced Supervising Solicitor appointed by the High Court on the execution of search orders, and often work in conjunction with other members of the team on complex, multi-venue searches.
- I acted for the successful claimants in Butler-Sloss v Charity Commission, the landmark High Court ruling allowing charity trustees to prioritise climate change mitigation over financial returns in investments I acted for the trustees of the Ashden Trust and the Mark Leonard Trust, two charities which principally pursue the charitable purposes of environmental protection or improvement and the relief of those in need. The judgment in this case approved the trustees’ decision to align charity investments with the goals of the Paris Agreement to keep global temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, despite potential financial detriment caused by limiting investments in this way. The judgment recognised the need for a dramatic shift in investment practice to combat climate change and means that charities now need to balance all relevant factors in particular the extent of any potential conflict with the charity’s objects when making a particular investment, even when this involves financial risk by excluding large parts of the market ([2022] EWHC 974 (Ch)).
- I acted for global philanthropist – and successful appellant - Jamie Cooper in the leading charity law case Cooper v Lehtimaki & Ors This hard-fought case focussed on the role and status of members in charitable companies. The Supreme Court’s decision represents the leading authority on the extent of the court’s inherent jurisdiction to control members and supervise the administration of charities. The successful outcome of the case unlocked $360M of charitable funds and secured an additional $80M for the UK charity sector ([2017] EWHC 1379 (Ch); [2018] EWCA Civ 1605; [2020] UKSC 33).
- I acted for the Advisory Council of the world-renowned Warburg Institute The University of London brought the claim as trustee to clarify - for its own benefit - its obligations to house, fund and maintain the Warburg Institute as a separate centre of learning. With support from the academic community around the world, we successfully defended the claim, preserving the Warburg Institute for generations of scholars to come (University of London v Professor Prag and another [2014] EWHC 3564 (Ch); [2015] WTLR 705].