In this charities and social enterprise conversation, Senior Associate Ruo Wu had an illuminating conversation with Dr Janis Wong, Data & Technology Law Policy Advisor at The Law Society.

They discuss:

- Janis’ role as the Data & Technology Law Policy Advisor at the Law Society;

- what Janis enjoys most about her job;

- some latest developments in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) landscape in the UK;

- how AI, and more broadly tech, has affected and will continue to affect the charities and not for profit sector;

- some tips and insights to help charities navigate the world of AI and tech, including Law Society’s AI and lawtech hub;

- how Janis got into the world of data & tech; and

- some latest Charity Commission publications and noteworthy events

Untangling the finances on a divorce can be the biggest part of the process.  As well as legal advice on how best to divide assets, the input from an investment manager and financial planner can make the process run much more smoothly, both during and after the court process has ended, even for the financially educated.  In the fourth instalment of our ‘Meet the Divorce Experts’ series, Charlie Geyton, Winckworth Sherwood Family team Solicitor, meets with Victoria Clapham, Investment Manager and Co-Founder at Manor Bridge Investment and Nathan Adam, Financial Planner at Raymond James, London, to discuss some of the financial areas affected by divorce, and where investment managers and financial planners can be of most use. 

Contact our Family Law team if you need advice on your divorce:
https://wslaw.co.uk/specialisms/family-law/

Whilst Family solicitors can guide the divorcing party through the various steps in the legal process, sometimes practical help in the form of a “Divorce Coach” is also needed to guide the party through the grieving process and empower them in their new life. In the third of our ‘Meet the Experts’ series, Sarah Ingram, Partner in the Winckworth Sherwood Family team speaks with Tori Lucas, Divorce and Break-up Coach. The discussion centres around the ways in which a divorce coach can support their clients through the divorce process, from start to finish, offering a variety of tools and techniques to get through all stages, providing not only vital emotional support but also help with the practical problems that come with divorce, from assistance with managing the effect on children to helping with the Form E.

In the second of our ‘Meet the Experts’ series, Winckworth Sherwood Family team Solicitor, Charlie Geyton, speaks with Adele Ballantyne, Relationship Therapist at Eleda Consultancy. During their discussion, Adele and Charlie delve into the range of areas of Adele’s work, ranging from assisting couples whose aim is to avoid divorce to, for those for whom divorce is the choice, advising on how to begin the next chapter of co-parenting whilst navigating the end of a relationship.

Contact our Family Law team if you need advice on your divorce
https://wslaw.co.uk/specialisms/family-law/

Pensions are often the single largest asset in a divorce, aside from the family home. However, because of their complexity, many couples feel daunted when faced with decisions over how, when and whether they should be split. In the first of our ‘Meet the Divorce Experts’ series, Sarah Ingram (Partner) and Charlie Geyton (Solicitor) from the Winckworth Sherwood Family team speak to Rhys Taylor of 36 Family Chambers, leading specialist in Pensions on Divorce. Rhys discusses the options for dealing with pensions during a divorce, types of pensions that parties will see and, crucially, how to avoid putting pensions in the “too complicated box” when working through a divorce.

In our new charities and social enterprise conversation, Senior Associate Ruo Wu had an insightful conversation with Aarti Thakor, Director of Legal and Accounting Services and Stuart Wood, Head of Registrations at the Charity Commission for England and Wales:

They discuss:

• Aarti and Stuart’s personal journeys into the world of charities;
• what Aarti and Stuart both enjoy most about working at the Charity Commission;
• notable changes Aarti and Stuart have seen over the past decade;
• what advice they would give to someone wanting to work at the Charity Commission;
• current trends in the charities sector;
• the use and role of Artificial Intelligence;
• what they would do if they could wave a magic wand and get all charity trustees to do two or three things consistently; and
• exciting projects they are currently working on.

In our new charities and social enterprise conversation Senior Associate Ruo Wu had an engaging conversation with colleague and Employment and Data Protection Partner Chris Garrett on the impact Artificial Intelligence has for charities and in the workplace. 

Ruo and Chris discuss:

• the inspiration and key themes from Chris’ recent webinar on  Data Protection: AI in the Workplace;
• whether the processing of personal data using AI tools can be problematic;
• what Chris and his team are doing to help clients in the wake of AI;
• opportunities and threats in the use of AI; and
• the upcoming Charity Law Association annual conference on the 12th October 2023 where Ruo will chair a panel discussion on charities and AI. 

In our new charities and social enterprise conversation Senior Associate Ruo Wu had a delightful conversation with philanthropy expert, researcher and commentor Rhodri Davies. Rhodri is a well-known thinker and commentator on philanthropy and civil society. He is the founding Director of the think-tank Why Philanthropy Matters, and a Pears Research Fellow at the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent. He is also the host of the Philanthropisms podcast. Rhodri was formerly the Head of Policy at the Charities Aid Foundation where he created and led the in house think tank Giving Thought, and hosted their popular Giving Thought podcasts.

 Ruo and Rhodri discuss:

 Rhodri’s personal journey into the world of philanthropy, his work at Why Philanthropy Matters and his popular Philanthropisms podcasts;

• Rhodri’s new book “What is philanthropy for?” examining the relationship between charity, justice, state, democracy, and the market and philanthropy;
• current big trends in philanthropy, including debates around tainted donations and examining the role of power in philanthropy and the value of participatory grant-making;
• crypto-philanthropy and its usage in the UK and the Charity Commission’s Cryptocurrency blog;
• the role of AI in charity and philanthropy, citing challenges, failures and opportunities. Specifically looking at issues of discrimination, privacy, and accountability. Revisiting Winckworth Sherwood employment team’s recent webinar on Data Protection: AI in the Workplace;
• the positive work of Charity Excellence Framework and the various free AI services and training they offer;
• Rhodri’s own personal favourite podcast interviews, including his recent interview with Dr Ewan Kirk on  “Philanthropy & giving ‘permission to fail” and some of Ruo’s personal favourite reads: “Decolonising Wealth” by Edgar Villanueva, “The Givers” by David Callahan and “Winners Take All” by Anand Giridharadas; and
• I.G Book Club’s upcoming book discussion and signing event with Rhodri in London on the 10 July 2023. 

In our new charities and social enterprise conversation series, Senior Associate Ruo Wu had an insightful conversation with barrister William Hopkin of New Square Chambers to discuss latest updates in the charities sector.

Ruo and Will discuss:

• how Will became a barrister specialising in the charities field and Will’s advice to aspiring barristers wanting to work and specialise in this niche area of law;
• a round up of key changes brought in so far by the Charities Act 2022 and a glimpse ahead to some of the further changes that will come into force;
• updates in the charities sector, including:
  • the new charity trustee “My Charity Commission Account” 
  • road-testing the new Charity Commission investment guidance 
  • CAF’s cost of living Charity Resource Hub
• interesting legal cases that Will has worked on recently; and
• what to expect when attending New Square Chamber’s annual charities conference. 

Winckworth Sherwood Partner and Head of Education, Andrea Squires explains the legal implications of the British national strike action announced by the NEU. She addresses some of the challenges facing schools and answers some practical questions that have been raised by school leaders trying to make appropriate preparations for the strike days.