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Articles by John Picton
Good for Nothing
As the 19th century wore on, social reformers campaigned for charitable modernisation. Their target: England’s most useless foundations. Sir John Romilly, the Master of the Rolls – one of the highest judicial offices in England – declared in 1859 that, even where a charitable trust was of the ‘most useless description’, the Chancery Court would not update or modernise it. The judge wanted the law to respect the founder’s original intent, even as the centuries passed.
The Parthenon marbles: George Osborne wants to return the statues to Athens, but can he? A legal expert explains
George Osborne – former UK chancellor and now chair of trustees at the British Museum – is reported to have negotiated the repatriation of the 2,500-year-old Parthenon marbles to Athens. The deal, struck with the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is not yet finalised. But it is thought that the sculptures will leave London “sooner rather than later” and it is planned that the British Museum will receive some ancient artefacts in return.
A life map of Equity and Trusts [interactive map]
Pearce & Stevens' Trusts and Equitable Obligations By Warren Barr and John Picton September 27th 2022 Through our lives, the law of Equity and Trusts is very often working in the background. If a parent or guardian wants to provide for their child, she will need to set up a trust. If we fall in love and move in with a partner, the law of Equity and Trusts might control who owns the family home.
Refusing donations: The legal lessons we can learn from Prince Charles taking Bin Laden family money
Revelations that Prince Charles privately brokered a £1 million charity payment from the family of Osama bin Laden throw an unforgiving spotlight on the future king’s connections with Gulf philanthropy. They also raise legal questions about the power of trustees to refuse or accept gifts from controversial donors. The Sunday Times reports that the money was temporarily deposited in a charity bank account awaiting a decision from trustees.
Why the trustees of Prince Charles’s foundation face a ‘legal headache’
Charity law expert, Dr John Picton, uses a legal framework to examine the impact of recent revelations involving Britain’s heir to the throne Prince Charles faces questions over his judgement after it was revealed by the Sunday Times that he collected millions of euros in cash from the former Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.
Gifts for the Nation
Class interest and ostentatious generosity are the hallmarks of elite charity. So, too, is a fixation with posterity. Few contemporary philanthropists would consider giving money to ease the national debt. But in 1928, Winston Churchill – then the Chancellor of the Exchequer – announced an anonymous charitable gift of £500,000 to a new fund, set up to pay off the UK’s substantial national account. It was good news for Churchill.
why the insolvency watchdog wants former children's charity directors disqualified
Former Kids Company chief executive Camila Batmanghelidjh is at the start of a nine-week trial in the high court that could see her disqualified as a company director, along with nine former directors from the charity that include BBC veteran Alan Yentob. Batmanghelidjh is threatened with a six-year order, and Yentob with four years. The case throws the spotlight on the way the law treats unfit directors.
Sackler donations: why museums and galleries can be stuck with gifts – even if they don't want them
Museums and galleries across the world are now turning away large amounts of philanthropic cash from the Sackler family – and there have been calls for some to give back money that’s already been accepted. It follows massive lawsuits against members of the wealthy Sacklers, accusing them of unlawfully profiting from the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin and fuelling the opioid crisis in the US.
Forget Mark Zuckerberg's charity – we need corporate tax reform
Mark Zuckerberg is the philanthrocapitalist poster boy, pledging to give away virtally all his wealth during his lifetime – but tax reform should trump the Facebook chief’s charitable ways because his company makes money by selling its user base data to advertisers. The UK government recently proposed taxing social media companies’ revenues by reference to the size of their national user base.
Forget Mark Zuckerberg's charity - we need corporate tax reform
Mark Zuckerberg is the philanthrocapitalist poster boy, pledging to give away virtally all his wealth during his lifetime – but tax reform should trump the Facebook chief’s charitable ways because his company makes money by selling its user base data to advertisers. The UK government recently proposed taxing social media companies’ revenues by reference to the size of their national user base.
Jeff Bezos has asked for charitable giving advice—here’s what he should do with his money
Jeff Bezos—the billionaire founder of Amazon with a net worth of over $80 billion—has asked Twitter for advice on how to donate to charity. The responses came quick. At the time of writing, there were more than 45,000 replies. Bezos must have expected it; his announcement hints at a once-in-a-generation gift of wealth. Giving away money can be surprisingly hard to do. There is a large philanthropy industry in the world, and that industry is certainly not free from controversy.
Jeff Bezos asked for charitable giving advice - here's what he should do
Giving away money can be surprisingly hard to do. There is a large philanthropy industry in the world, and that industry is certainly not free from controversy. There are some eye-watering tales of bad planning, such as the now infamous PlayPump scheme, which sought funds for a scheme providing merry-go-rounds connected to bore holes. Children were supposed to play on the ride and so provide power to pump up water.
Jeff Bezos has asked for charitable giving advice
Jeff Bezos – the billionaire founder of Amazon with a net worth of over US$80 billion – has asked Twitter for advice on how to donate to charity. The responses came quick. At the time of writing, there were more than 45,000 replies. Bezos must have expected it; his announcement hints at a once-in-a-generation gift of wealth. Giving away money can be surprisingly hard to do. There is a large philanthropy industry in the world, and that industry is certainly not free from controversy.
Why charities should be allowed to campaign freely at election time
Everybody was caught off guard when Theresa May announced Britain would be heading to the polls on June 8. But charities were more surprised than most by the news – which had an immediate impact on their day-to-day campaigning operations. Under special election-time rules, charities are legally restrained in their campaigning missions. The law restricts campaigning on policy platforms that are intended to procure the electoral success of a particular party or candidate.
Why charities should be allowed to campaign freely at election time
Everybody was caught off guard when Theresa May announced Britain would be heading to the polls on June 8. But charities were more surprised than most by the news – which had an immediate impact on their day-to-day campaigning operations. Under special election-time rules, charities are legally restrained in their campaigning missions. The law restricts campaigning on policy platforms that are intended to procure the electoral success of a particular party or candidate.
Supreme Court legacy ruling: leaving a gift to charity can be egoistic as well as altruistic
After a litigation saga lasting almost ten years, the UK Supreme Court has ruled that a woman who was deliberately disinherited by her mother in favour of three animal charities is entitled only to a relatively small pay-out. The daughter, Heather Illot, had contested the will in search of a maintenance payment. The ruling is a victory for charities reliant on legacy gifts in donors’ wills, and could discourage adult children from contesting wills in the future.
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