The event was held on 13 February at the firm’s Birmingham office.

Edwina Turner, associate and Shivaji Shiva, senior associate lead the event with an interactive first half of the seminar, comparing CIOs to other existing legal structures and a second half opportunity for delegates to have their CIO queries answered directly.

The long-anticipated CIO structure was introduced to address inadequacies in the current range of legal options in the third sector.  It is expected to be a natural choice for many smaller and simply structured charities.  It will also be of real value to larger charities but it will not suit all of them and many will have good reasons to stick to longer established legal structures. CIOs present particular opportunities for faith-based charities and umbrella bodies seeking to foster charitable community activities.

Shivaji said: “The sector has been waiting for the CIO structure for 13 years, however now that it has been implemented many are unsure as to what impact it will really have. Trustees and staff need to understand the structure in order to assess its merits and in some cases they may find that a more traditional legal form is actually better for their needs.

The seminar helped to address these issues, highlighting the pros and cons of CIOs and ultimately ensuring that trustees felt equipped to make the best judgment for their organisations.

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