Chris Priestley

Practice Areas

Chris is head of the firm's charities & philanthropy practice. Particular areas of expertise are: regulatory investigations; safeguarding; cross-border collaborations, structuring and fundraising; charity governance and mergers; Royal Charter work; and advice to educational and healthcare charities. Chris also advises on the structuring of complex charitable groups (both domestic and international) arrangements and the ownership by charities of underlying business and social enterprises. Chris has a strong reputation for advising corporate and private donors on their philanthropy strategies and the structuring of family foundations. He regularly addresses conferences on charity law topics, is a member of the executive board of the Charity Law Association and authored the ICSA Charity Trustee's Guide.

Career

Qualified in Scotland 1994 and England 1998. Solicitor with Robson McLean WS 1994-96; joined Withers 1996, became partner 2003.

Professional Memberships

Charity Law Association; Charity Treasurers’ Forum; Law Society of England and Wales.

Publications

The ICSA Charity Trustees’ Guide

Chapters in the ICSA Charities Handbook

The fundraising chapter of Tolley’s Charities Manual

Personal

Educated at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh 1974-1987; Edinburgh University 1987-1992. Trustee of Barrow Foundation UK; and W.O Street Foundation.