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NLJ this week: Charitable thanks but no thanks? Pro bono matters & healthy habits at work

28 June 2024
Issue: 8077 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Mental health , Pro Bono , Charities
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NLJ’s charity law special presents a trio of thought-provoking articles in this week’s issue

First up, when can charities lawfully refuse or return donations (where, for example, acceptance could result in reputational harm)? Neasa Coen, partner at Payne Hicks Beach, covers Charity Commission guidance and case law on this fascinating and topical issue.

Coen writes that high-value artistic works have been returned and substantial donations refused, for example, Save the Children refused £750,000 from Neptune Energy.

Next, Bryony Wells, director of development at Advocate, and Jessica Duxbury, associate, pro bono, Simmons & Simmons, set out the many pros and pluses of pro bono work. They write that pro bono not only makes a huge difference to the lives of clients but also benefits the lawyers, firms and chambers that do the work. Examples given include that it can ‘deepen relationship with commercial clients’ and can be used ‘to support applications to panels’.

Completing the trio, Elizabeth Rimmer, chief executive of LawCare, the mental health charity for the legal sector, offers practical tips on establishing healthy habits in the workplace. Rimmer writes: ‘Establishing these early on can help build your resilience and enable you to flourish in your legal career.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

mfg Solicitors—Brian Hession

mfg Solicitors—Brian Hession

Birmingham commercial property team bolstered by partner hire

STEP—Sara Morgan

STEP—Sara Morgan

Fieldfisher director re-elected as deputy chair of England Wales committee

Osborne Clarke—Andrew Eaton

Osborne Clarke—Andrew Eaton

Restructuring and insolvency expert joins as partner

NEWS
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
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