Not for Profit

Services and Expertise

Cornwall Stodart has a long and proud history of providing cost effective, no nonsense advice to various not for profit organisations. We work with religious orders and groups, sporting clubs and associations, schools and higher education institutions, healthcare bodies and charitable institutions.

The type of work we do is varied. We have assisted clients with complicated restructurings, which sometimes involve canon law, obtaining DGR status and setting up charitable foundations. We advise schools and higher education institutions on a diverse range of issues, from cyber bullying and online social networking sites, through to leasing arrangements.

As a consequence, we have a genuine understanding of the not for profit sector and the increasingly complex legislative requirements affecting the diverse organisations in this field. Members of our Not for Profit team actively participate in this area through their professional and personal roles. Our first hand knowledge of the not for profit sector means we are aware of - and can anticipate - the key issues and trends impacting these unique organisations.

Areas of Industry Expertise

We have expertise and experience in advising not for profit organisations on a range issues, including:

• corporate governance; we advise boards on various governance issues, including directors' obligations
• property and commercial transactions; we advise on commercial transactions, from sponsorship arrangements through to supply agreements. We also advise on leasing and licensing obligations, property acquisition and disposal, and general restructuring arrangements
• obtaining tax exempt and DGR status
• establishing charitable trusts and foundations; we have established many different types of charitable foundations for clients, both as part of their existing operations and as separate entities
• restructuring corporate constitutions for religious orders and for their affiliates, such as hospitals, schools, aged care and social welfare bodies.
• wills and bequests
• workplace relations, including volunteer work
• dispute resolution; we assist with the resolution of disputes through various methods, including negotiation, mediation and, if appropriate, litigation
• defamation and media related issues; we provide advice on image protection, defamation and other media issues. We also have experience in acting for media organisations, complementing our expertise in this area.