Stone King LLP

Stone King is a national leader in charity and education law, providing high-quality legal advice to businesses and individuals across the UK. The firm operates from offices in Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, London and Manchester, and has grown across its charity, business, education and private client divisions, employing over 220 people including 49 partners and 116 fee-earners. Its sector-leading education team advises over 1,000 maintained and independent schools nationwide and has been at the forefront of the academies programme. In the third sector, the firm acts for hundreds of leading charity and not-for-profit organisations, including educational establishments and religious groups. Stone King also delivers a broad range of commercial legal advice to organisations from family-run businesses to international companies. The firm is independently recognised for expert advice to individuals and families, particularly regarding care funding and family mediation.

Types of work undertaken include charity and social enterprise matters such as formation and registration of new charities, Charity Commission investigations and review visits, charity mergers, establishing trading subsidiaries, trustee duties and liabilities, modernising and restructuring constitutions, governance and compliance, legacy disputes, corporate sponsorship and fundraising. The education practice covers academy creation and conversions, governor training, corporate and regulatory issues, student disputes and negligence issues related to education provision, as well as employment matters including TUPE, employment documents and appointment processes. Employment and HR services span issues arising from business sales and organisational change, TUPE, changing terms and conditions, restructuring, redundancy, dismissal and discrimination, with representation at tribunals and HR support. The commercial property team specialises in commercial, charitable, educational and social housing work, including planning and environmental law. Construction work ranges from refurbishments to large-scale developments, covering procurement, building contracts, bespoke amendments, consultant appointments, letters of intent, collateral warranties, funding agreements and PFI/PPP documentation. Corporate and commercial services include advice on start-ups, administration and compliance, director duties and liabilities, IT, IP, shareholder and joint venture agreements. Dispute resolution encompasses litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. The transport practice advises on road transport legislation, public inquiries, appeals to the Transport Tribunal, tachograph and drivers’ hours regulation, construction and use regulations and bus service operators grants. Trusts and estates work includes wills, trusts and tax planning, including overseas assets, and specialist later-life advice on care funding for clients and their families and carers. Family law and mediation services cover divorce and separation, mediation, cohabitation, civil partnership, prenuptial agreements and children matters. The residential property team handles sales and purchases, transfers of equity, shared ownership, new-build purchases, residential leases and remortgages. Court and regulatory services include all types of crime, including white-collar crime and fraud, and regulatory defence in environmental, consumer protection and health and safety matters.