Not for Profit Lawyers – Charities, Schools, DGRs and PBIs
Our not for profit lawyers have decades of experience in delivering highly specialised legal advice in the non profit sector Australia wide. Our not for profit clients form the largest single client group of our practice. We make it our business to be up to date with all aspects of non profit law and how the law generally affects not for profit clients – across Australia.
Churches (Local & Denominations)
Here are some areas we regularly advise churches in:
- Legal Structures
- Taxation endorsements / exemptions
- GST compliance
- Constitutions
- Property
- Trusts
- Intellectual Property compliance audits & advice
- Church Government Guidelines
- Church Government secretarial/administrative training & support
- Volunteer qualifications
- Risk Management
- Safeguards for protecting the vulnerable
- Sensitive Information obligations
- Complaint handling
- Dispute mediation
- Tax (ATO) audits
- State and Local Government registrations concessions
Education Sector (Schools, Colleges & Universities)
In addition to similar issues that churches face, here are some issues that we are constantly advising on:
- Enrolment contracts and processes
- Anti-discrimination constraints
- Discipline
- Staffing
- Governance
- State and Local Government registrations concessions
PBIs (Public Benevolent Institutions) and DGRs (Deductible Gift Recipients)
- Establishment
- What DGR endorsements could our charity use?
- Could and ATO review or audit see a loss of our DGR status?
- Maintaining DGR status
- Involvement in “commercial enterprise”
- Reporting
- Compliance advice
- State and Local Government registrations concessions
UBIT (Unrelated Business Income Tax)
- All not for profits with commercial activity need to consider how this new regime may impact upon them
- Particular care needs to be taken not to make material changes to existing commercial activities that may see a loss of transition time when this new regime commences
