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gunnercooke is the fastest growing corporate law firm in the UK, now making its mark globally. We comprise a rapidly growing number of experts spanning legal and other disciplines. Clients benefit from flexible options on fees to suit their needs, access to a wider network of senior experts throughout the relationship, and legal advice which is complemented by an understanding of the commercial aspects of running a business.
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Michele Price
Partner
Charity & Philanthropy
Accolades
Expertise
Michele combines a passion for helping charities and all forms of not-for-profits succeed, with an enthusiasm for advising philanthropists and social investors on how best to support the causes close to their hearts. Above all, she cares about what you care about. She will get to the bottom of your issues and help you thrive. Her clients value her because she is a trusted adviser who delivers solutions with wisdom, care and a real appreciation for the not-for-profit landscape.
With a 30-year career spanning contentious and non-contentious areas of the Law, Michele has developed a niche where she combines her practical and legal skills to great effect in the fast-developing and increasingly vital areas within the Third Sector and Civil Society. She aims to equip organisations to best face the challenges and demands upon their services and governance while ensuring that those who wish to support charities or bring about social impact do so in the most effective and tax-efficient way.
Michele understands the sector from the inside out, having worked in-house with a major national military charity and at senior executive level for a start-up heritage charity. She is able to bring wisdom, insight, and pragmatism to every situation, and is particularly well sought after by charities facing reputational and operational problems. On the Philanthropy side, social investors and families wishing to create charitable foundations value her knowledge of what truly brings about change and the access she has to a wide range of relevant networks.
Michele champions small charities and is a founding member of the Small Charity Friendly Collective. She works with accounting, fundraising, management, and marketing professionals to provide all-round support to your organisation. Michele is well regarded for her written articles, broadcasts, training presentations, webinars, and conference contributions to Charity and Philanthropy. Michele currently sits on the board of The Choral Foundation, Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal.
Michele Advises
- Charities
- Charitable Incorporated Associations (CIOs)
- Charitable Companies (CLGs)
- Trusts
- Unincorporated Associations
- Schemes
- Royal Charters
- Grant making Foundations
- Faith-based organisations
- Military associations
- Livery Companies
- Not for profit organisations
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Companies Limited by Guarantee (CLGs)
- Social Enterprises
- Societies
- Foundations
- Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs)
- Philanthropists
- Social Investors
- Executors and Trustees
- Family foundations
- Corporates and commercial start ups
- Investment companies and advisers
Experience Highlights
- Successfully registered a new charity within seven days for a corporate client’s neurodiversity initiative, enabling the swift launch of a high-impact programme to fund assessments for children with autism who face long-waiting lists on the NHS and are unable to afford private medical support.
- Registered a charity responding to the humanitarian need in Ukraine within a week
- Advised an investment to start up on how to incorporate a charity into its corporate structure to realise an ambition to “give back”
- Assisted an international philanthropist with a UK-based foundation
- Successfully registered a faith-based charity in time for Ramadan to enable it to maximise fundraising opportunities, which involved an expedited and difficult application raising issues of funds going overseas
- Advised the charitable arm of a City Livery Company on incorporating as a CIO to reduce individual liability and to update the charitable purposes and beneficial outreach. Succeeded in registering one of the first CIOs for a Livery Company and now advising others
- Overhauled and redesigned charity governance, to give training on responsibilities and fiduciary duties to a board and draft internal documents for an overseas aid charity facing Charity Commission intervention for poor governance
- Represented faith-based organisations and overseas aid charities in relation to historical sexual abuse allegations, including civil claims and criminal prosecutions arising out of IICSA and high-profile investigations
- Represented a Trustee accused of defrauding a charity of substantial charitable funds
- Settled a contested probate relating to a large charitable legacy where the original charity legatee no longer existed
- Advised an international philanthropist on vehicles available for the UK and International social investment. Led a profile-raising project for a campaign that gained international recognition
- Advising on topical campaigns such as #endchildfood poverty, medicinal cannabis to relieve epilepsy, a national menopause campaign, and an end homelessness charity
- Registered high-profile national campaign, the Menopause Mandate as not for profit entity
- Registered Intractable Epilepsy as the first charity funding medicinal cannabis prescribed for children with epilepsy
- Advising on the fall out of the demise of the Small Charities Coalition, leading to co-founding the Small Charities Friendly Collective to meet the needs of the sector
- Trusted adviser to faith-based charities managing allegations of historical abuse and the IICSA report
- Advising a charity on a serious incident that developed into a compliance inquiry by the regulator
- Registered new charities on behalf of corporate clients aiming to redress the gender imbalance in financial services
- Providing philanthropy services to an international musician to help them realise their estate wishes and establish an international foundation to support young musicians
- Advising a grant-giving foundation on a spend out of its endowment, including renegotiating and drafting agreement with proposed beneficiaries such as top 10 charities and potential merger charities.
- Registered the first suicide awareness and prevention umbrella organisation, The Baton of Hope UK
- Advising a number of charities campaigning for free school meals, food education and better nutrition for children
Career History
Previous Law Firms
- Pothecary Witham Weld, Partner, Church & Charities (2018–2021)
- Morrisons LLP, Solicitor, Private Client and Charities (2017–2018)
- The Choral Foundation, Director of Development, Hampton Court Palace (2012–2016)
- The Royal British Legion, In-House Solicitor (2010–2012)
- Consultant and Legal Expert, Large Scale Investigations (2000–2010)
- Peters & Peters, Associate and Partner, White Collar Crime (1990–1998)
- JP Malnick & Co, Trainee Solicitor (1988–1990)
Memberships
- Freeman of the City of London Solicitors Livery Company
- Charity Law Association
- Private Client Section of the Law Society
- STEP Charity Specialist interest Group
- Philanthropy Impact
- STEP Affiliate
Education
- College of Law (1986–1988)
- University of Sussex, BA (Hons) History (1983–1986)
Expertise
Back to top
Michele combines a passion for helping charities and all forms of not-for-profits succeed, with an enthusiasm for advising philanthropists and social investors on how best to support the causes close to their hearts. Above all, she cares about what you care about. She will get to the bottom of your issues and help you thrive. Her clients value her because she is a trusted adviser who delivers solutions with wisdom, care and a real appreciation for the not-for-profit landscape.
With a 30-year career spanning contentious and non-contentious areas of the Law, Michele has developed a niche where she combines her practical and legal skills to great effect in the fast-developing and increasingly vital areas within the Third Sector and Civil Society. She aims to equip organisations to best face the challenges and demands upon their services and governance while ensuring that those who wish to support charities or bring about social impact do so in the most effective and tax-efficient way.
Michele understands the sector from the inside out, having worked in-house with a major national military charity and at senior executive level for a start-up heritage charity. She is able to bring wisdom, insight, and pragmatism to every situation, and is particularly well sought after by charities facing reputational and operational problems. On the Philanthropy side, social investors and families wishing to create charitable foundations value her knowledge of what truly brings about change and the access she has to a wide range of relevant networks.
Michele champions small charities and is a founding member of the Small Charity Friendly Collective. She works with accounting, fundraising, management, and marketing professionals to provide all-round support to your organisation. Michele is well regarded for her written articles, broadcasts, training presentations, webinars, and conference contributions to Charity and Philanthropy. Michele currently sits on the board of The Choral Foundation, Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal.
Michele Advises
Back to top
- Charities
- Charitable Incorporated Associations (CIOs)
- Charitable Companies (CLGs)
- Trusts
- Unincorporated Associations
- Schemes
- Royal Charters
- Grant making Foundations
- Faith-based organisations
- Military associations
- Livery Companies
- Not for profit organisations
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Companies Limited by Guarantee (CLGs)
- Social Enterprises
- Societies
- Foundations
- Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs)
- Philanthropists
- Social Investors
- Executors and Trustees
- Family foundations
- Corporates and commercial start ups
- Investment companies and advisers
Experience Highlights
Back to top
- Successfully registered a new charity within seven days for a corporate client’s neurodiversity initiative, enabling the swift launch of a high-impact programme to fund assessments for children with autism who face long-waiting lists on the NHS and are unable to afford private medical support.
- Registered a charity responding to the humanitarian need in Ukraine within a week
- Advised an investment to start up on how to incorporate a charity into its corporate structure to realise an ambition to “give back”
- Assisted an international philanthropist with a UK-based foundation
- Successfully registered a faith-based charity in time for Ramadan to enable it to maximise fundraising opportunities, which involved an expedited and difficult application raising issues of funds going overseas
- Advised the charitable arm of a City Livery Company on incorporating as a CIO to reduce individual liability and to update the charitable purposes and beneficial outreach. Succeeded in registering one of the first CIOs for a Livery Company and now advising others
- Overhauled and redesigned charity governance, to give training on responsibilities and fiduciary duties to a board and draft internal documents for an overseas aid charity facing Charity Commission intervention for poor governance
- Represented faith-based organisations and overseas aid charities in relation to historical sexual abuse allegations, including civil claims and criminal prosecutions arising out of IICSA and high-profile investigations
- Represented a Trustee accused of defrauding a charity of substantial charitable funds
- Settled a contested probate relating to a large charitable legacy where the original charity legatee no longer existed
- Advised an international philanthropist on vehicles available for the UK and International social investment. Led a profile-raising project for a campaign that gained international recognition
- Advising on topical campaigns such as #endchildfood poverty, medicinal cannabis to relieve epilepsy, a national menopause campaign, and an end homelessness charity
- Registered high-profile national campaign, the Menopause Mandate as not for profit entity
- Registered Intractable Epilepsy as the first charity funding medicinal cannabis prescribed for children with epilepsy
- Advising on the fall out of the demise of the Small Charities Coalition, leading to co-founding the Small Charities Friendly Collective to meet the needs of the sector
- Trusted adviser to faith-based charities managing allegations of historical abuse and the IICSA report
- Advising a charity on a serious incident that developed into a compliance inquiry by the regulator
- Registered new charities on behalf of corporate clients aiming to redress the gender imbalance in financial services
- Providing philanthropy services to an international musician to help them realise their estate wishes and establish an international foundation to support young musicians
- Advising a grant-giving foundation on a spend out of its endowment, including renegotiating and drafting agreement with proposed beneficiaries such as top 10 charities and potential merger charities.
- Registered the first suicide awareness and prevention umbrella organisation, The Baton of Hope UK
- Advising a number of charities campaigning for free school meals, food education and better nutrition for children
Career History
Back to top
Previous Law Firms
- Pothecary Witham Weld, Partner, Church & Charities (2018–2021)
- Morrisons LLP, Solicitor, Private Client and Charities (2017–2018)
- The Choral Foundation, Director of Development, Hampton Court Palace (2012–2016)
- The Royal British Legion, In-House Solicitor (2010–2012)
- Consultant and Legal Expert, Large Scale Investigations (2000–2010)
- Peters & Peters, Associate and Partner, White Collar Crime (1990–1998)
- JP Malnick & Co, Trainee Solicitor (1988–1990)
Memberships
- Freeman of the City of London Solicitors Livery Company
- Charity Law Association
- Private Client Section of the Law Society
- STEP Charity Specialist interest Group
- Philanthropy Impact
- STEP Affiliate
Education
- College of Law (1986–1988)
- University of Sussex, BA (Hons) History (1983–1986)
Testimonials
‘Michele Price is another known name for her work on diverse issues such as serious incident reporting and major safeguarding cases.’
Legal 500
"Thank you again for your excellent report. The Trustees were unanimous in saying how helpful and accurate it is."
Client
‘I have been consistently bowled over by [Michele's] outstanding customer service, swift responses, clear communication, straightforward legal advice and clear commitment to doing right by small not-for-profits. I really appreciated [her] proactive research and willingness to set quotes that maximise the budget. [She has] made an exceptional first impression.’
Jo Ross-Barrett
Project Manager, Inclusive Minds CIC‘Michele's response was quick, different, and refreshing, as she responded with an understanding and reassuring empathy that [our issue] was common. Her approach was so very impressive; I came away thinking that she really knew her stuff.’
Jon Anthony
Director, Start Change"Michele is professional, well informed, very helpful and supportive"
Moishe Pollak
'From the start of the process with Michele Price to incorporate my cricket club to a CIC I found her to be extremely knowledgeable, helpful, very friendly and above all efficient which made my task very easy.'
Mr Taylor
Client'I have worked in the city for almost 30 years and have worked with some extremely talented lawyers during that time. Honestly I was blown away by the way in which you helped us meet our charity board challenges with skill and kindness.'
Charity Chair
'Thanks for all the work that you have done concerning this case. It has been a long road and a painful one for all of us involved. Your ‘gentle’ professionalism has been a great help.'
International Faith Charity Chair
'We were so grateful to you for the first-rate advice we received, which made the process very smooth for us.'
National Migraine Centre
'Our enormous gratitude and thanks for all your extraordinary hard work and dedication. You expertly navigated us through the process and we all know and believe we wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.'
Baton of Hope UK
“Michele’s guidance was invaluable from start to finish. She explained each step of the process with clarity, offering calm, wise, and pragmatic counsel along the way. Thanks to Michele, the entire application process felt far less daunting. Her professional and skilled approach gave us all a great sense of confidence."
Sunday Suppers