Livery Companies

We act for a significant number of livery companies including members of the Great Twelve. It is a role we greatly value and we take pride in our long-standing relationships with the companies and their members, officers and advisers. Our long heritage of advising livery companies has given us an intimate knowledge of their history and role within the City and the wider community and an appreciation of their current concerns and future aims. We couple our understanding of the sector, with the fresh thinking and cutting edge legal expertise livery companies need today, across every aspect of their activities and investments.

We have experts in areas including constitutional, property, charity, education, employment and banking law, so whatever the challenge, you can be sure you will benefit from top level specialist advice, delivered by a team that understands how you work and the world in which you operate.

Our livery clients and the work that we do

• We regularly advise livery companies on constitutional issues, including changes to constitutions and charters, and governance reviews. As one of the top legal advisers to charities, our specialists are well placed to support companies on a range of areas, including how charity law applies to the companies’ objectives, the consolidation and acquisition of charities, trusteeships, and companies’ relationships with foundations and trading subsidiaries.
• We act for livery companies along with other City of London freeholders in property investment development and asset management, advising on equity-share leases, a common investment structure in the City. We cover planning and environmental matters and advise on construction projects and procurement and act in relation to livery companies' residential properties, particularly lease extensions or enfranchisement claims. Many of our livery company clients draw on our expertise around schools’ issues and our long track record in the education sector. We support them on every aspect of their relationships with schools and academies, including constitutional issues and overseas franchising, property development, and intellectual property in the education sphere.
• In the fields of banking and investment, we offer specialist advice on funding and borrowing, especially loan agreements and other debt instruments and investment management agreements.
• We regularly support companies on complex employment and pensions issues.
• We also advise on commercial agreements of all types, covering halls and premises hire, outsourcing or supply agreements and intellectual property issues including data protection and subject access requests.