Bates Wells

On 21 July, the Government published draft legislation for the restrictions on inheritance tax relief for businesses, showing that it plans to go full steam ahead with the changes despite vocal opposition. There is currently uncertainty on how this will affect PhilCo’s, which are companies in which 10% or more of the shares are held by a charity. In this article, Scott Leonard and James Badcock unpack how upcoming changes to Business Property Relief could affect PhilCo’s. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eE6MrJnS

The Chambers and Partners UK 2026 guide is now live and we’re happy to share that Bates Wells has once again been recognised across a wide range of practice areas! A huge thank you goes to our teams and lawyers whose hard work and expertise continue to drive meaningful impact across the legal sector. We’re also incredibly grateful to our clients and peers who took the time to contribute their feedback – your support is vital in shaping these rankings. A few key highlights from the 2026 edition include: 👏Band 1 rankings for • Employment: Employer: Third Sector • Charities • Immigration: Personal • Parliamentary & Public Affairs: Electoral Law 👏Band 1 rankings for Lucy McLynn, Philip Kirkpatrick, Rupert Earle, Simon Steeden, Thea Longley, and Tim Barnden 👏A brand new Band 2 ranking for Charities: Legacy Disputes 👏Ranked in 15 practice areas, with 36 of our people ranked, several of whom are recognised across multiple areas See the firm’s full rankings here: https://lnkd.in/eNaCPkjY Here’s to continuing to set the standard together!

As an armed forces charity, it’s good practice to assess your impact and financial sustainability from to time to time and consider whether coming together with another charity or charities would offer a more effective way to serve your beneficiaries and strengthen your mission. Join Lucy Rhodes, partner in our Charities team, and Lucy McLynn, partner in our Employment team, at our in person event on 25 November to learn more about mergers, partnerships and collaborative models. This session will equip you with the insights and tools needed to initiate discussions about these arrangements and navigate them with confidence. They will be joined by Alistair Halliday, CEO of the Forces Employment Charity and Vice-Chair of Cobseo on 25 November who will share insights from his experience in steering successful combinations and mergers. Register here: https://lnkd.in/evTeJhF5

Last week, the Government unveiled plans for what it described as the biggest overhaul to the homebuying system in our country’s history. In this article, Janani Puvi and Zulema Sheikh explain how the proposed reforms aim to reduce delays, lower costs, and halve the number of failed transactions by requiring greater transparency from sellers and estate agents. To find out more about the proposals as well as the Government’s next steps, read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d_dQWcVW

What does Reform UK’s ascendancy mean for charities and campaigners, ahead of elections next year in Wales, Scotland and across the UK? And what are the implications of new Electoral Commission guidance and statutory codes of practice for non-party campaigners, ahead of the regulated period for the Scottish Parliament and Senedd election campaigns that begins on January 7? Join our top-ranked Politics, Elections and Campaigning team for a reminder and update on the regulatory framework around campaigning in the run-up to elections. We'll be discussing: • How do charity law rules on political impartiality apply in a changing political landscape, with new and insurgent parties emerging to challenge the established two-party system? • Are charities required to engage with all emerging parties, particularly those which charities are concerned may pursue policies that contradict their charitable purposes? • How do charity law rules interact with election law rules in the run up to next year’s elections to the Senedd and the Scottish Parliament, local elections and elections of combined authority mayors? Book your spot here: https://lnkd.in/eGEcykpE Simon Steeden, Suhan Rajkumar

Last week we co-hosted a fascinating event with London Social Ventures discussing how universities can support founders of social ventures. The panel included speakers from Bates Wells, London Social Ventures, RecycleLab, Trim Tots CIC and UCL Business Ltd, who shared their knowledge on how to set up strong foundations, grow with the right kind of support, and how to stay true to your mission. Thank you to all of our speakers Oliver Hunt, Laura Hobbs, Leela Fair, Julie Lanigan, Analia Lemmo, William Russell and Danielle Stephens.

Introducing the Founders series, where we'll be talking to some incredible founders who are leading the way in their industries. We'll discuss the key milestones in their journey, from early-stage funding and set-up, through to growth, later stage structuring and everything in-between. First up, Nirav Patel met with Fouad Al-Noor, Co-founder and CEO of ThinkSono, an ultrasound AI company focusing on the detection of blood clots deep in the leg’s veins. We discussed Fouad’s journey as a founder, including everything from his biggest challenges, to how he built strong relationships with both investors and his team. Watch the full video by clicking here: https://lnkd.in/ePFQGV5C

At the beginning of July, the Government published a number of amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. These included further provisions relating to zero hours contracts and non-disclosure agreements, as well as changes to fire and rehire restrictions and the addition of a new right to bereavement leave after pregnancy loss. The updated draft Bill has now been reviewed by the House of Lords, though the further amendments suggested by them have all subsequently been rejected by the Government. Find out more about which amendments have been retained or rejected at this stage, what's next for the Bill, and when the first provisions could come into force. https://lnkd.in/erA3VWzc Paul Seath Thérèse Rankin

The Court of Appeal judgment in Farley and Others v Paymaster has given life to low level data breach claims, and serves as a reminder of what counts as processing for UK GDPR purposes and why it’s so important to ensure mailing databases are up to date and breaches are reported. Rupert Earle and Lauren Woosey explore the case further and discuss key takeaways. https://lnkd.in/eAhDd2CQ

Recently, news broke that B Corp Ben & Jerry’s co-founder, Jerry Greenfield, has stepped away from the company after nearly 50 years. This news has reminded us of a key issue for the founders of purpose-driven businesses who wish to protect their legacy: how to preserve the business’ purpose-beyond-profit for the long term, including through changes of ownership. Although UK company law doesn’t allow businesses to embed their purposes indelibly, there are ways for purpose-driven companies, including B Corps, to protect their purposes from the outset, some of which we consider in the article linked below. Sung-Hyui Park, a Partner in our Purpose & Impact team, shared: “The news that Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has stepped away from the company, after nearly 50 years, gave me pause for thought. Many purpose-driven founders may be thinking about the legacy of their businesses. Although the best approach to embedding purpose will depend on each business’ situation and goals, understanding the risk of ‘mission drift’ and the options available to help avoid it can allow the business to make informed decisions as it develops, to help it remain true to purpose into the future.” Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/e7dhZSBb Luke Fletcher Phillippa Holland