Russell Cooke Putney London 2

About Gareth

I’m lucky to work with people and organisations carrying out fantastic work. Getting to know them and being able to support them in meeting their goals is a privilege.

Gareth has been at Russell-Cooke for eight years. He provides strategic and legal advice to charities and other not-for-profit organisations on a wide range of governance and commercial matters, including establishing new charities, incorporations, mergers, commercial contracts, fundraising, trading and regulatory matters involving the Charity Commission.

Gareth enjoys getting to know his clients, understanding how they operate and how they would like him to work, to support them as effectively as possible. This enables him to tailor his approach and advice to suit the organisation and the issue at hand, providing the best possible service he can in each instance.

Gareth is proud to support a diverse range of charities and not-for-profit organisations, ranging from well-known national charities and charities with an international reach to small voluntary organisations.

He is named as a Rising Star in The Legal 500 (2023).

Gareth Roy – expert in his field and responds quickly to support our organisation.
The Legal 500 (2024)

Experience

Gareth's experience includes:

  • advising on multiple mergers in the charity sector each year, including on the merger of Breast Cancer Now and Breast Cancer Care, the UK's two biggest cancer charities

  • advising “household name” charities on fundraising arrangements, including professional fundraising arrangements, commercial participation arrangements and challenge events

  • establishing a wide range of charities over many years, including where the Charity Commission has previously rejected an application relating to the same charity

  • incorporating multiple charities (from trusts or unincorporated associations into charitable companies or charitable incorporated organisations (“CIOs”)) every year

  • advising a range of charities, large and small, on serious incidents, serious incident reporting and engaging with the Charity Commission, including by attending compliance visits to support the charity’s trustees

  • advising various amateur sports clubs (including rugby, cricket, football, golf and multi-sports) in relation to their legal structure and status, including by assisting clubs to convert from unincorporated CASCs to charitable entities with trading subsidiaries

  • assisting partner Chris Rowse in advising on the sale and donation of Whitehouse Ruskin Collection, the largest collection of Ruskin memorabilia in the world, from two charities to Lancaster University with a loan back of certain items secured to Brantwood, Ruskin's home in the Lake District

  • advising on the restructuring of a charity from a company limited by guarantee with a related charitable trust and a wholly owned trading subsidiary into a CIO with amended charitable objects, including by advising on the sale of the trading subsidiary and securing various consents from the Charity Commission

So professional and so approachable at the same time! The level and quality of support we have received has been beyond my expectations.
Trustee • I Choose Freedom Charity (2022)

Education

Gareth studied:

  • law at the University of Oxford

  • LPC at the College of Law, London

5 stars all round and a sincere thank you for your excellent advice and guidance.
Dr S Herman • Trustee • Leo Baeck College

Memberships

  • Sits on the board of the Money & Mental Health Policy Institute

Awards and accreditations

Gareth's highlights

Getting your charity governance right in changing times

Gareth Roy speaks at Visionary Annual Conference on future proofing the charity sector

News

15.03.2023

Incorporating a sports club

Gareth Roy, Senior associate in the Russell-Cooke Solicitors, charity law and not for profit team.
Gareth Roy
6 min Read
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