WiSe - A Winckworth Sherwood Podcast

In this charities and social enterprise conversation, Winckworth Sherwood Senior Associates Ruo Wu and David Emery do a deep dive into the impact of the Procurement Act 2023 on charities.  They discuss: what procurement means; how the Procurement Act 2023 will impact charities; what benefits the Act can bring to charities; how social value and the National Procurement Policy Statement fit alongside the Act; useful government publications and Knowledge Drop videos: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-official-transforming-public-procurement-knowledge-drops#kd3knowledge-drop-forsuppliers-part-1; whether there are any areas for improvement under the Act; Ruo and David’s articles entitled 'Forget MEAT, embrace MAT: A Charity's guide to the Procurement Act 2023' and; shared Berkshire Vision Charity's in person quiz night with Chris Tarrant, former presenter of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' https://berkshirevision.org.uk/ and; celebrated the excellent work of Community Action Sutton: https://www.communityactionsutton.org.uk/

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

Often couples who begin the divorce process know that legal bills can be one thing, but don’t understand the full financial scrutiny and upheaval that your finances can go through on divorce. In the third instalment of our ‘Meet the Experts’ series, Winckworth Sherwood Family team Solicitor, Charlie Geyton meets with Victoria Clapham, Investment Manager and Co-Founder at Manor Bridge Investment and Nathan Adam, Financial Planner at Raymond James, London CityPoint, to discuss some of the impacts on finances through divorce, and provide helpful information to help those going through the process. 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 of 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.

When it comes to giving references, it's important to be truthful about your ex-employees. Winckworth Sherwood Partner Blair Adams, and Associate Daniel Parker explain a recent case of a woman suing her previous employer for malicious falsehood and defamation, and discuss when, what and where it is appropriate for employers to talk about their current and past employees.  

Winckworth Sherwood partner Blair Adams and associate Dan Parker discuss Fire and Rehire practises, and the whether they can legitimately be used during industrial disputes. Looking at recent examples of fire & rehire, and some cases mistakenly labelled as such, they explain what companies should be wary of, if considering that course of action.  

WS partners Blair Adams and Louise Lawrence discuss the recent research Winkworth Sherwood undertook on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace, and offer explanations and examples of what companies legally can and cannot do under the Equality Act, as part of their EDI strategy. Read our 2022 report on EDI in the workplace, here: https://wslaw.co.uk/publication/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-insights-and-recommendations-for-employers/  

In our latest WiSe podcast from the Winckworth Sherwood Private Client team, Emi Page talks with  Partners Tim Snaith and Philip Collins, and Senior Associate Samantha Warner to get their insights and top tips when dealing with wills.

Over the past 12-18 months there has been unprecedented interest in Lasting Powers of Attorney in the media and amongst our clients, due in part to the pandemic and our ageing population. In our latest podcast, members of our Private Client team discuss some of the common themes and burning questions that often come up from clients on the  topic of LPAs. 

As we all know, the Government has implemented a traffic light system – of green, amber and red countries - in relation to holidaying outside the UK this year. From 17 May, it is no longer illegal to go abroad – or rather you do not need an essential reason to do so. In the third of our Private Business and Wealth associates’ Q&A series, where we cover a range of topical issues, we look at the rights and obligations from an employment legal perspective for both personal and business trips.

In a short Q&A Immigration specialist Kezia Daley looks at the British national (overseas) visa route,  available to those from Hong Kong, who as of 31st January 2021 are able to apply for two periods of five years to live and work in the UK. In the Q&A Kezia covers: Who can apply? How to apply Applying as a family Applying from the UK Additional requirements Costs Dos and Don’t’s Other routes into the UK

What happens if you and your partner or spouse split and you have a pet together? Can you get a custody agreement to regulate the time you and your ex each get to spend with your pet? And is there anything you can do to protect yourself against a dispute about your pet? Hannah Gumbrill-Ward discusses in her podcast. 

What do you need to be aware of when making donations to charity and how can you make sure that your money will make a difference? Are you thinking about applying to be a charity trustee or even setting up a charity – if so, what do you need to think about? Join Sarah Jane Sahner from the charities team for a discussion on how to give money to charities safely and how to get more involved in the charity sector.