Philanthropy Lawyers
We help individuals, families and organisations from across the world to design and implement their philanthropic strategies. Our philanthropy lawyers provide tailored advice to ensure that programmatic, governance and regulatory frameworks are always aligned with the overarching philanthropic ambition.
Fulfil your philanthropic vision and maximise your impact
Effective philanthropic giving relies on clearly defining the impact you would like to have and then making sure you can accurately measure that impact.
At BDB Pitmans, our team will work closely with you to find the best ways to achieve your social aims, drawing on our expertise across the areas of philanthropy, charities, social enterprises, not-for-profit organisations, private wealth management and more.
In line with our firm’s values, we will:
- Treat your wealth with respect
- Find solutions to achieve your philanthropic aims
- Act as trusted partners to you and your advisers
Working closely with you and your advisers, we can offer a seamless personal service for all types of philanthropic giving in the UK and across international borders, helping you to achieve the biggest impact with your money.
A complete philanthropy advisory service
We can assist with all aspects of philanthropic giving, including:
- Setting objectives
- Developing a strategy
- Creating philanthropic structures
- Researching potential charity partners
- Identifying charitable pathways
- Establishing private foundations
- Donor Advised Funds (DAFs)
- Starting a social enterprise
- Sustainable investment
- Cross-border giving
- Measuring the impact of your philanthropy
- Tax-efficient giving
We can also draw on the wider expertise across the firm to assist with related matters, including:
- Wealth structuring
- Charity law
- Wills and estate planning
- Family Offices
- Sustainability and environmental law
- Comprehensive advice for international clients
As well as advising individuals and families, we can also assist with corporate philanthropy, providing a complete solution for personal and business giving.
Our philanthropy lawyers can advise on:
- How to structure philanthropic projects, including the most suitable methods of giving, whether to an existing charity, an individual’s foundation or to a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)
- The range of not for profit structures available
- Considerations as to how to engage the next generation in philanthropic projects and how succession planning can be appropriately addressed
- Governance and board responsibilities
- Tax planning in relation to cross-border giving
- Charity donations and investments, including social impact investments
- The due diligence, documentation and monitoring involved in the provision of charitable grants to organisations overseas
- Ongoing regulatoryand governance, commercial, employment, intellectual property and data protection requirements
We also provide a range of secretarial, administration and accounting support services.
Our clients
We advise philanthropic individuals and families from all over the world on projects in the UK, as well as working closely with family offices, advisers and intermediaries. Our team have strong expertise in cross-border giving, coordinating with trusted overseas partners where required to meet our clients’ objectives.
Why choose BDB Pitmans for philanthropy legal advice?
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1 Independently recognised expertise
BDB Pitmans is recognised by the leading client guides. We are highly ranked by the Legal 500 for our expertise in Charities and Non-For-Profit Law and by Chambers & Partners for Charities.
Our team includes members of the prestigious Society of Estate and Trust Practitioners (STEP) and we are members of the Charity Law Association.
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2 Extensive experience advising philanthropists worldwide
With many years of experience advising philanthropic individuals and families, we can offer true expertise in the various opportunities and issues involved, as well as the different approaches you can make to achieve your aims, maximise your impact and minimise the potential for any problems.
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3 A tailored personal service to match your full range of legal needs
As a full service law firm with a high level of expertise in advising wealthy individuals, we can offer support with a very wide range of matters, providing a ‘one stop’ solution for all of your legal needs.
Types of philanthropic giving with which we can assist
Our philanthropy lawyers’ fees
We are able to provide assistance with philanthropy matters on a fixed cost or assessed costs basis as appropriate. We will be happy to discuss this with you during your initial consultation with our team and can provide a clear estimate of costs at the outset.
Speak to our philanthropy lawyers about how we can help you
To discuss how our philanthropy lawyers can help you to achieve your aims, please get in touch.
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